BX  9211  .C173  M9  1905 
Murray,  Joseph  Alexander. 
A  contribution  to  the 
history  of  the  Presbyteria 


^//tylAAAM^\ 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES,  CARLISLE,  PA. 

By  rev.  JOSEPH  A.   MURRAY,  D.D. 


An  Historical  Address 

at  the 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL 

of    the 

Second  Presbyterian  Church 

Carlisle,   Pennsylvania 

January  12,  1883 

AS   PLANNED   FOR   PUBLICATION   BY    HIS   DAUGHTER 

MRS.  MARY  E.   HIMES 

With  the  appendices  containing  copies  of  Early 
Documents,  not  previously  published, 

RELATING  TO  THE  StONE  MEETING 

House  on  the  Square 


THE  CORNMAN  press 

CARLISLE,  PA. 

1905 


IN  LOVING  MEMORY  OP  HER  WHOSE 

AFFECTIONATE  REGARD  FOR  HER  FATHER 

AND    INTEREST    IN    THE    SUBJECT 

PROMPTED  THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THIS 

FRAGMENT  OP  LOCAL  HISTORY. 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

\  MONO  the  manuscripts  left  by  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  A. 
-^  ^  Murray,  D.  D.,  was  that  of  the  Historical  Address  deliv- 
ered by  him  at  the  Semi-Centennial  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  January  12th,  1883.  It  had  been  pre- 
pared by  him  with  his  usual  characteristic  care  as  to  accuracy 
and  fullness  of  statement,  and  with  a  view  to  ultimate  publica- 
tion, with  copious  Appendices,  embracing,  together  with  other  in- 
formation, transcripts  from  old  documents  in  his  collection,  re- 
ferred to  in  the  address.  Many  of  these,  which  had  not  previ- 
ously been  published,  had  an  interesting  connection  with  the  early 
history  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Carlisle,  including  the 
Old  Stone  Meeting  House  on  the  Square,  and  were  regarded  by 
him  as  decisive  of  some  earnestly  controverted  points  in  its  his- 
tory. The  peculiar  interest  manifested  by  him  in  that  church 
may  be  explained  by  a  statement  by  him  in  another  connection: 
"Baptized,  reared,  and  having  publicly  made  my  youthful  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  Christ  in  the  First  Church,  under  the  ministry 
of  the  beloved,  but  now  sainted  Duffield,  with  my  earliest  and 
most  precious  memories  as.sociated  with  that  Church,  to  which  I 
still  feel  loyally  attached,  &c.".  At  the  time  of  the  separation, 
and  organization  of  the  Second  Church,  he  was  a  resident  of 
Pittsburg  and  a  member  of  Dr.  Herron's  church  there. 

In  the  presentation  of  his  address  he  was  accorded  a  place  on 
Friday  afternoon,  and  the  morning  and  evening  of  the  following 
Sabbath.  His  feeble  health,  shortly  afterward,  delayed  and  fi- 
nally prevented  its  publication.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Himes,  into  whose  hands  the  manuscript  and  accompanying  docu- 
ments came,  knowing  the  wishes  of  her  father,  had  long  felt  that 
it  ought  to  be  put  into  more  permanent  form,  and  the  valuable 
historical  data  it  contained  be  made  more  accessible  to  any  inter- 
ested in  the  history  of  one  of   the   oldest    and    most    prominent 

(iii) 


iv  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

Presbyterian  communities;  and  that  the  documents  themselves 
should  be  deposited  in  some  suitable,  permanent  place  for  safe 
keeping.  The  manuscript  was  left  by  the  author  just  as  it  had 
been  prepared  for  public  delivery,  much  of  it  in  the  form  of  notes, 
and  she  had  gone  over  it,  indicating  in  a  general  way  what  modi- 
fications or  omissions  might  be  made;  and  had  the  final  prepara- 
tion for  the  printer  been  in  her  hands  she  would  doubtless  have 
exercised,  to  a  greater  degree  than  has  seemed  allowable  to  an- 
other, the  privilege  that  belonged  to  him  of  making  any  modifi- 
cations of  style  and  statement  of  the  spoken  address  in  giving  it 
permanent  published  form.  In  regard  to  the  documents,  which 
had  always  been  freely  accessible,  since  they  had  come  into  his 
possession,  to  any  desiring  fuller  information,  recognizing  a 
community  of  interest,  of  the  membership  of  both  congregations 
in  Carlisle,  in  the  associations  connected  with  those  that  antedate 
the  division  in  1833,  she  proposed,  in  accordance  with  what  she 
had  reason  to  believe  was  the  wish  of  her  father,  to  place  them  in 
the  safe  keeping  of  the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society  of  Phil- 
adelphia, in  the  fire-proof  vault  provided  for  such  deposits,  where 
they  would  be  secure,  and  accessible,  as  well,  to  any  specially  in- 
terested in  them.  These  have,  accordingly,  been  carefully 
mounted  and  arranged  for  preservation  and  reference,  and  placed 
as  a  permanent  deposit  with  that  Society.  It  was  her  purpose, 
also,  to  have  a  complete  set  of  reduced  photographic  facsimiles 
made,  direct  from  the  negatives,  of  all  the  more  important  doc- 
uments, as  a  memorandum,  in  many  respects  almost  equal  for 
reference  to  the  originals  in  authenticity..  This  part  of  her  plan 
has  also  been  carried  out,  and  duplicates  of  these  photographic 
facsimiles,  from  thirty  negatives,  have  been  bound  in  with  copies 
of  the  address,  and  placed  in  the  Hamilton  Library,  Carlisle,  Pa., 
and  in  the  library  of  the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Carlisle,  June,  1905.  Charles  F.  Himes. 


CONTENTS 

Biographical  Sketch  ......  viii 

ADDRESS 
Prefatory  Statement         ......  3 

I.  Early  History — Introductory         ....  5 
Early  Settlers — Meeting  House  Springs  —  Rev.  Samuel  Thomson  — 

Meeting  Houses  in  Carlisle — Rev.  John  Steel — Rev.  Geo.  Duffield 
— Old  Lights  and  NewLights — Union  1786 — Dr.  Davidson— Terms 
of  Union — Armstrong  letter  and  Old  Stone  Meeting  House 

II.  The  Second  Church  Organized        ....  14 
Petition  to  Presbytery  —  Meeting  for  Organization  —  Resolutions — 

Committees — Published  Account 

III.  Clerical  Committee  OF  Organization      ...  17 
Rev.  James  Williamson — Rev.  A.  B.  Quay 

IV.  Original  Ruling  Elders        .  .  -  .  .  19 
Andrew  Blair — John  McClure — Robert  Clark 


25 


V.  First  four  Deacons       ...... 

Peter  B.  Smith — Robert  Irvine — Robert  Giffin — John  Proctor 

VI.  Others  Mentioned  in  the  Organization  .  .  28 
George  A.  Lyon — Charles  Bingham  Penrose —  John  Stuart  —  James 

Hamilton — Alexander  C.  Gregg — Crawford  Foster — Abraham  Lam- 
berton— John  Hays— William  Irvine — John  Agnew— John  William- 
son— Andrew  Holmes  —John  Paxton — George  Metzger — Gilbert 
Searight— James  Thomson — Benj.  Femald — John  Huston — Robert 
Young — William  B.  Murray 

APPENDIX 

A.    Terms  of  Union  ......  38 

Proposed  by  Committee  of   Duffield  Church— Proposed  by  Commit- 
tee of  Steel  Church  (Davidson's) — Terms  agreed  to,  May  5,  1786 

(V) 


vi  Contents 

B.  Occupants  OF  THE  Gallery,  (Stone  Church)        .  .  41 
"List  of  Persons  who  have  taken  Pews  in  Ye  Gallery,  June   13,  1786," 

from  old  document — Memorandums  on  same,  account  for  stoves,  &c 
— Amount  subscribed  for  erecting  gallery — The  Gallery — Pews  on 
lower  floor 

C.  Armstrong  Letter         ......  42 

Conclusion  of  and  references     Stone  Church  not  commenced  before 

1769 — Extracts  from  letters  of  J.  A.  Murray,  published  July  16,  1884 
— Corrections — Steel's  Meeting  House — Duffield's  Meeting  House — 
First  Contract  for  Stone  Meeting  House,  1769 — Second  1777 — By 
Steel's  Congregation — Duffield,  New  Side,  never  connected  with 
Stone  Meeting  House — Armstrong  letter  origin  of  mistaken  date, 
1757,  of  founding  Stone  Meeting  House— Armstrong  belonged  to 
Duffield's  Church — Letter  does  not  refer  to  Steel's  Church — Plan 
of  Carlisle  1764 — First  Contract  for  Stone  Meeting  House,  1769 — 
Memorial  Address  referred  to — Corrections  published  by  Dr.  Wing 
to  History  of  First  Church — "Steel's  Church  on  Hanover  Street, 
1759 — Foundation  of  Stone  Church  1769 — Date  1757,  error  caused 
by  Armstrong  letter — Stone  Meeting  House  not  referred  to — Old 
Map  and  old  subscription  incline  to  belief  Episcopal  Church  meant 
— Contracts  1769,  1771,  decisive  of  date" 

D.  Contracts— Stone  Meeting  House        ....  50 
First    (McGlathry)    Contract,   1769  —  Adam  Hoops'   House  —  Folk 

Contract  for  finishing  1771 

E.  The  Old  Church  Slowly  Completed         ...  53 
Building  incomplete,   May,  1786 — Proposal  to   Duffield's  people  to 

finish  it — To  have  right  to  seats  on  Gallery  and  vacant  ones  on  lower 
floor — Subscription  of  advancements,  for  finishing,  May,  1787 — Sub- 
scription by  ladies  for  finishing  pulpit — Early  opposition  to  stoves — 
Subscription  for  stoves,  1790 — Description  of  stoves  and  pipes — No 
chimneys  until  1828 — Church  struck  by  shell  in  1863 — Subscription 
for  "Chandeliere,"  1794 — Description  of  Chandelier — Subscription 
of  ladies,  lor  "Ornaments  of  the  Pulpit,"  1794 

F.  Petition  to  Presbytehy— for  Separate  Church  .  60 
Petition — Xames  of  subscribers  (77)  — Action  of  Presbytery  —  Mem- 
bership of  new  church 

F.F.    Brief  Biographical  Data  of  first  Members    .  .  79 


Contents  vii 

G.    Charter  .......  62 

Reference 

H.    First  Church  Building— Second  Church  .  .  63 

Meeting  of  Committee  of  Fifteen —  Locations  considered  —  Commit- 
tee to  purchase  lot — Action  of  Congregation— Building  Committee 
Report  of  purchase  of  Oliver  lot — Trust  fund  appropriated — Origin 
of  trust  fund  from  sale  of  Glebe  farm,  Meeting  House  Springs- 
Action  of  the  First  Church  conveying  proceeds  of  sale  to  Second 
Church — Acceptance  by  Second  Church  as  its  share  of  the  property 
— Oliver  lot,  title— Trautwine,  architect— Contract  and  details  of  plan 
— Architect's  services  recognized — Statement  of  amounts  received 
and  expended— Contributions  outside  of  the  membership — List  of 
subscribers — Bell — Service  in  County  Hall—  Congregational  meet- 
inar  in  College  Chapel— Rev.  Daniel  McKinley  elected  pastor— In- 
stalled in  the  County  Hall — First  Communion  observed  in  Lutheran 
Church — Worship  in  lecture  room  of  new  church — Communion  in 
Church — First  members  received — Choice  of  pews  determined  by 
seniority  in  age — First  alteration  1850 — Second  1864 — Last  service 
in  building  June  19,  1870 — Disposition  of  bell  and  pews. 

J.    Deed  TO  Steel's  Meeting-House  Lot,  No.  177       .  .  73 

K.    Agreement  for  Sale  of  Duffield  Lot,  No.  122  .  75 

L.    Consideration  of  sale  of  the  Glebe,  etc.  .  .  77 

Synopsis  of  act  of  incorporation — Appointment  of  a  Committee — 
Proposition  to  sell  the  Glebe— Resolution  to  appoint  some  one  to 
collect  the  stipends 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Joseph  A.  Murray  .....  Frontispiece 

Second  Presbyterian  Church. 

Built,  1833;  Rebuilt  187  i  •  .  .  Facing  Page  66 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 

The  author  of  this  address  and  its  appendices — Rev.  Joseph 
Alexander  Murray,  D.D. ,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Carlisle,  was  a 
native  of  the  borough,  born  Oct.  2nd,  1815.  His  father,  George 
Murray,  was  born,  March  17th,  1762,  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  was  the 
first  white  child  born  within  the  limits  of  Pittsburg.  He  was  the 
only  child  of  William  Murray,  a  native  of  Scotland,  a  surveyor 
and  land  dealer,  and  Susanna  Sly,  daughter  of  George  Sly,  who 
came  with  his  family  from  Holland,  and  resided  on  his  farm  two 
or  three  miles  from  the  fort.  George  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age,  but  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  his  maternal  grand- 
parents. When  a  lad  of  twelve  years  he  made  the  trip  to  Car- 
lisle, assisting  in  bringing  cattle  to  that  market,  and  was  so  well 
pleased  with  the  town  that  he  remained.  As  an  orphan  he  was 
placed  in  the  care  of  James  Pollock,  Thomas  Alexander,  and 
George  Stevenson,  by  whom  he  was  apprenticed  to  Simon  Boyd, 
who  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  Revolution,  to  learn  the  "trade 
science  and  occupation  of  blacksmith."  He  acquired  great  skill 
as  an  artisan,  and  became  the  partner,  and  ultimately  the  suc- 
cessor of  Lieut.  Boyd  in  an  extensive  business,  as  also  his  brother- 
in-law,  by  marriage  with  Mary  Denny,  by  Dr.  Davidson,  in  1804. 
She  was  a  younger  sister  of  Maj.  Ebenezer  Denny,  an  officer  in 
the  army  during  the  Revolution  and  subsequently,  and,  after  re- 
tirement from  the  army,  a  very  prominent  citizen  of  Pittsburg. 
She  was  said  to  be  a  woman  of  marked  character  for  intelligence 
and  piety.  Her  father,  William  Denny,  was  born  in  Chester 
County,  Pa.,  1737,  and  came  with  his  father,  William  Denny,  to 
Cumberland  County  in  1745.  The  latter  settled  on  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  South, Middleton  township,  which,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  day,  was  left  to  the  older  son,  Walter,  who  com- 
manded a  company,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Crooked  Bil- 

(Vili) 


Biographical  Sketch  ix 

let.  Provision  was  made  by  the  father,  in  his  will,  for  the 
schooling  of  the  younger  son,  William,  and  for  his  instruction  in 
a  trade.  He  became  quite  a  skilled  cabinet-maker  and  carpenter, 
and  was  the  contractor  for  the  Court  House  in  Carlisle,  built  in 
1765,  and  burned  down  in  1845.  He  was  also  Coroner  of  the 
County  for  a  term.  In  1760  he  married  Agnes  Parker,  daughter 
of  John  Parker,  son  of  Richard  Parker,  who  came  with  his  wife 
Janet,  from  Ireland  in  1725. 

George  Murray,  prospered  in  his  businesss,  acquired  a  com- 
fortable estate,  and  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  for  his  many 
sterling  qualities.  He  died  in  Carlisle  May  6th,  1855,  in  his 
ninety-fourth  year.  As  an  evidence  of  his  skill  as  a  workman,  a 
gentleman  who  had  known  him  well  said,  that  he  had  ridden 
thirty  miles  just  to  have  him  shoe  a  horse;  and  another  old  farmer 
stated,  that  he  used  to  stop  at  the  old  shop  just  to  see  George 
Murray  work,  he  did  it  with  so  much  ease  and  skill.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  first  church,  and  were  among 
those  who  separated   to  form  the  second  church,    (see  p.  80). 

The  son,  Joseph  Alexander,  was  the  youngest  of  five  children. 
As  his  parents  were  both  consistent  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Carlisle,  his  "training,"  as  he  has  said,  "  was  of  a  cor- 
responding character — the  old  fashioned  type."  On  May  l£th, 
1831,  on  examination  and  profession  of  faith  he  was  admitted  to 
full  membership  in  the  church  of  his  parents,  then',  as  he  states, 
"under  the  pastoral  care  of  that  excellent  and  useful  man.  Rev. 
George  Dufiield,  afterward  Dr.  Duffield  of  Detroit."  Among 
the  eighty  persons  received  into  the  church  at  the  same  time, 
five  boys  became  ministers  of  the  gospel,  namely:  Rev.  Dr. 
T.  W.  Chambers,  New  York,  Rev.  Richard  Craighead, 
Meadville,  Pa.,  Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  Duffield,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  Rev. 
Jno.  O.  Proctor,  Lexington,  Ohio,  and  the  subjectof  this  sketch. 
He  received  his  academical  education  in  Carlisle  and  Pittsburg, 
Pa,  In  Carlisle  he  attended  the  Carlisle  Institute,  conducted  by 
Henry  Duffield,  a  brother  of  Rev.  George  Duffield,  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Carlisle.  The  classical  department  of  the 
school  was  under  the  care  of  Mr.   John  A.  Inglis,  a  graduate  of 


X  Biographical  Sketch 

Dickinson  College,  who  afterward  became  a  very  prominent  poli- 
tician in  South  Carolina,  and  was  the  author  of  the  secession 
ordinance  of  that  state.  He  removed  to  Baltimore  after  the  war, 
and  was  a  judge  in  that  city  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  Young 
Murray  returned  from  Pittsburg,  and  entered  Dickinson  College, 
then  presided  over  by  Dr.  Durbin,  but,  in  response  to  the  urgent 
wish  of  his  friends  in  Pittsburg,  he  returned  to  that  city,  entered 
the  University  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  was  graduated  from  it 
1837.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  the  Western  The- 
ological Seminary  in  Allegheny,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1840.  During  this  formative  period  of  his  life  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family  of  his  cousin  Hon.  Harmar  Denny,  a  prominent 
lawyer,  Mayor  of  Pittsburg,  and,  as  a  member  of  congress  for 
many  years,  influential  in  national  politics.  His  life  and  associa- 
tions here,  which  brought  him  in  contact  with  many  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  day,  especially  of  the  old  Whig  school,  imparted 
breadth  to  his  character  and  information,  and  had  doubtless  much 
to  do  with  the  courteousness  of  manner,  and  dignity  of  bearing 
which  characterized  him.  It  also  originated  manj^  close  friend- 
ships that  survived  into  the  later  period  of  a  long  life.  He  was 
a  member,  in  Pittsburg,  of  Dr.  Herron's  church,  familiarly  known 
as  'Father  Herron's.*  In  1839  he  was  taken  under  the  care  of  the 
Ohio  Presbytery,  which  then  embraced  the  churches  in  and  around 
Pittsburg.  The  following  details  of  his  admission,  may  be  of  in- 
terest as  characteristic  of  the  procedure  of  that  day.  In  his  ex- 
amination on  experimental  piety  and  the  motives  for  seeking  the 
gospel  ministry.  Dr.  Herron,  as  one  of  the  committee,  expressed 
himself  as  satisfied  from  personal  knowledge,  but  one  question  by 
the  other  member  of  the  committee,  the  eccentric  Dr.  Brown, 
President  of  Jefferson  College,  was  easily  recalled  in  after  years, 
namely:  "Would  you  be  willing  to  decline  a  call  to  a  great  church 
in  the  East,  and  go  to  the  destitute  West  to  preach  the  gogpel, 
where  you  would  have  to  live  on  bear's  fat?"  The  committee  to 
furnish  a  Latin  Exegesis  reported :  '  'An  Christus  sit  vere  DensV ' 
which,  when  read  subsequently,  was  referred,  duly  reported  on, 
and  approved.     For  a  critical  exercise,  2  Cor.  3:18  was  assigned 


Biographical  Sketch  xi 

him,  and  for  a  Popular  Lecture,  130th  Psalm.  These  were  de- 
livered on  the  several  occasions  appointed;  the  popular  lecture 
without  manuscript,  for  which  he  was  commended;  and  his  clear 
strong  voice,  and  freedom  from  embarrassment  noted  by  a  leading 
member  of  the  committee.  His  own  account  was,  that  he  was 
so  frightened  that  he  could  scarely  see  anyone,  and  that  he  as- 
sumed strength  of  voice  and  courage  of  manner  to  prevent  failure. 
On  motion,  Rom.  3:31  v/as  assigned  him  for  a  popular  sermon, 
and  the  day  on  which  it  was  appointed  to  be  delivered  happened 
to  be  one  of  a  great  political  gathering  in  the  interest  of  Harrison 
and  Tyler,  and  Tyler  was  present  as  an  auditor.  After  all  these 
.several  tests,  and  examinations,  as  well,  in  Latin,  Greek,  etc.,  he 
was  licensed  to  preach.  After  invitations  to  several  other  charges 
had  been  considered,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  Marion,  Marion 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  supplied  the  pulpit  for  three  months,  and 
then,  on  request,  for  three  months  more,  but  hesitated  to  engage 
as  permanent  pa.stor.  During  a  visit  to  Carlisle,  where  he  had 
not  been  for  two  years,  largely  influenced  by  the  earnest  wishes  of 
his  relatives  and  friends,  he  very  regretfully  declined  the  urgent 
call  of  the  church  at  Marion  to  become  its  permanent  pastor. 

He  then  connected  himself  with  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle, 
and  accepted  a  call  to  the  charge  of  the  Monaghan  (Dillsburg) 
and  Petersburg  churches;  and  was  ordained  over  it  April  13th, 
1842.  He  remained  with  that  people  until  obliged  by  impaired 
health,  1858,  to  resign  the  charge.  He  was  not  onl}^  a  pastor  to 
his  people  but  a  model  citizen,  interested  in  all  measures  pro- 
motive of  the  welfare  of  the  community;  and  was  especially  inter- 
ested in  the  cause  of  public  education,  serving  for  a  number  of 
years  as  president  of  the  Board  of  School  Directors.  Such  did  his 
attachment  to  his  people,  and  the  community  become,  and  their 
regard  for  him,  that  urgent  calls  to  charges  considered  much 
more  desirable  were  declined,  at  times  with  some  difficulty,  and 
at  one  time,  only  in  response  to  petitions  signed  by  all  the  resi- 
dents of  the  place,  of  all  denominations.  This  course  he  never 
subsequently  regretted,  and  many  years  afterward  his  old  con- 
gregation, mindful  of  the  former  days,  made  him  pa.stor  emeritus. 


xii  Biographical  Sketch 

After  his  removal  to  Carlisle,  in  1858,  his  health  rapidly  im- 
proved, and  was  almost  completely  restored,  and,  whilst  he  never 
felt  free  to  assume  the  full  responsibility  of  a  charge,  he  con- 
tinued active  in  supplying  churches,  filling  vacant  pulpits,  and  in 
all  the  work  of  the  church.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1844,  1861,  1865,  1875,  and  before  the  latter  he  de- 
fended, with  Judge  Williams,  by  appointment  of  his  Synod,  an 
important  decision  of  the  latter,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  Judicial  Committee.  He  was  made  moderator  of  the  Synod 
of  Harrisburg  in  1876,  by  acclamation.  Upon  the  incorporation 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  in  1886  at  the  request  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  Presbytery,  he  prepared  the  device  for  the  seal,  ac- 
cepted by  them,  and  adopted  by  the  Presbytery.  He  was  a  man 
of  scholarly  habits  and  tastes,  and  always  retained  his  interest  in 
the  classical  languages  and  literature.  He  also  became  especially 
interested  in  historical  research.  State  and  National,  as  well  as 
local,  and  by  reason  of  his  well  known  thoroughness,  and  the 
painstaking  character  of  his  investigations,  he  became  to  be  re- 
garded as  an  authority  on  many  historical  and  biographical  ques- 
tions. He  was  especially  interested  in  the  preservation  of 
neglected  documents  and  overlooked  historical  data,  and  had  the 
pleasure  of  recovering  many  of  considerable  value,  that  might 
otherwise  have  been  lost;  and  his  collection  contained  many  very 
valuable  documents  and  rare  books. 

As  a  frequent  contributor  to  magazines  and  periodicals,  re- 
ligious and  secular,  many  of  his  articles  were  recognized  as  of 
high  value,  especially  on  account  of  the  careful  and  thorough  re- 
search embodied  in  them.  A  number  of  his  public  addresses 
were  published.  Even  as  a  young  man,  whilst  a  student  at 
Pittsburg,  he  proved  quite  a  spirited  and  effective  contributor  of 
political  articles  in  the  heated  campaign  of  that  day.  In  his 
later  years  his  correspondence  with  those  applying  for  historical 
data  and  information,  not  only  became  quite  a  tax  upon  his  time 
and  strength,  but  prevented  the  completion  of  papers  of  his  own. 
His  name,  however,  appears  frequently  in  publications  of  others 
with  due  credit.     Many  of  his  publications  relating  to  local  hist- 


Biographical  Sketch  xiii 

or}'  were  contributed  to  the  local  press,  and  on  account  of  the 
exhaustive  research  they  embody,  and  their  authoritative  character, 
a  number  have  been  put  in  more  permanent  form,  by  republica- 
tion,* under  the  auspices  of  the  Plamilton  Library  Association,  and 
republication  of  others  is  contemplated.  As  a  historical  writer  he  is 
characterized  by  precision  and  accuracy  of  statement,  and  attention 
to  the  minutest  details,  recognizing  the  fact  that  in  some  apparently 
trifling  detail  may  lie  the  clue  to  the  solution  of  some  more  impor- 
tant matter.  He  was  rigidly  adherent  to  what  presented  themselves 
to  him  as  the  facts  in  any  case.  Although  amiable  in  disposition, 
and  always  courteous  in  manner,  and  tolerant  of  opinions  con- 
troverting his  own,  he  was  absolutely  intolerant  of  inaccuracj'  in 
historical  statement  resulting  from  carelessness,  or  superficial  in- 
vestigation. As  has  been  said  he  had  "a  passion  for  the  accuracy 
of  history."  His  time,  and  any  historical  resources  at  his  com 
mand  were  freely  given  to  those  in  quest  of  hi.storical  informa- 
tion. He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society 
of  Philadelphia  and  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society 
of  the  same  city,  and  corresponding  member  of  the  Numismatic 
and  Antiquarian  Society.  He  was  for  many  years,  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  to  his  decease.  Secretary  of  the  Hamilton 
Library  Association,  of  Carlisle,  and  was  active  in  giving  if  the 
historical  trend  which  has  made  it  the  officially  recognized  his- 
torical society  of  the  count5\  He  was  an  active  or  honorary 
member  of  many  other  historical  societies.  In  1869  he  was 
honored  with  the  degree  of  D.D.,  by  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania  and  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  was  a  Director  of 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary.  Such  was  his  attachment 
to  this  institution,  and  interest  in  its  work,  that,  before  his  de- 
cease, he  founded  a  scholarship  in  it  by  the  gift  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars. 

During  a  painful  and   prolonged  illness  of  several  years  he 
maintained  an  unusual  interest  not  only  in  his  immediate  sur- 

*01d  Court  Houses,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.;— Molly  Pitcher  (Molly  McCauley) 
— Old  Market  Houses,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.; — Andr^  and  Despard  in  Carlisle,  Pa. 
— Old  Jails  of  Carlisle,  Pa.; — Old  Wells  of  Carlisle,  Pa.; — Louther  Manor. 


xiv  Biographical  Sketch. 

roundiugs,  but  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  outside  world,  up  to  with- 
in a  few  days  of  his  decease,  Nov.  27th,  1889.  He  was  at  the 
time  the  oldest  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  having 
joined  it  in  1842.  (See  Centennial  Memorial  of  Presbytery  of 
Carlisle,  Vol.  I,  p.  444,  Vol.  II,  p.  274).  All  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him  knew  him  as  a  man  unselfish,  public  spirited,  gen- 
erous in  all  his  impulses,  strong  in  his  convictions,  sincere  in  his 
friendships,  honest  and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow- 
men,  with  a  kind  word  or  deed  for  all,  and  withall  with  a  reten- 
tion of  youthful  spirits  that  made  a  friend  of  even  the  youngest. 
But  above  all,  that  which  he  would  esteem  his  greatest  praise, 
his  highest  endeavor,  was  to  be  a  consistent  Christian  in  his  faith 
and  life. 

In  1843,  April  25,  he  married  Ann  Hays  Blair,  only  daughter 
of  Andrew  Blair,  whose  name  will  be  found  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Carlisle,  especially  with  the 
organization  of  the  Second  Church*,  and  with  many  public  enter- 
prises. Pie  was  president  of  the  Board  of  School  Directors  for  its 
fijst  twenty-five  years,  to  the  time  of  his  decease.  His  wife 
Elizabeth  Hays,  (see  Elizabeth  Blair,  page  79)  was  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Hays,  whose  father  Adam  Hays,  of  an  old  Holland 
family,  was  born  at  New  Castle,  on  the  Deleware,  and  came  to 
Cumberland  County  in  1730.  The  eminent  physician  Dr.  Adam 
Hays  was  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Blair.  He  was  a  surgeon  in  the  war 
of  1812,  practiced  medicine  for  a  time  in  Carlisle,  and  removed  to 
Pittsburg  where  he  died  in  1857.  He  married  Charlotte  McClure, 
daughter  of  Charles  McClure,  Esq.,  of  Letort  Spring.  A  sister, 
Mary,  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  R.  Cooper  of  Clarksville,  Tenn. 
(See  47  p,  85).  The  daughter  of  Andrew  Blair  was  well  educat- 
ed and  thoroughly  trained  in  Presbyterian  usages,  and,  possessed 
of  a  genial,  kindly  disposition,  she  made  a  model  pastor's  wife, 
and  in  her  subsequent  life  in  Carlisle,  became  a  highly  esteemed 
and  useful  member  of  the  community.     She  died  Sept.  14th,  1875. 


*See  page  19. 

See  "Story  of  30th  Anniversary  of  a  Pastorate"  (Norcross) — Hist.  Ad- 
dress, Jno.  Hays,  Esq.  p.  loi. 


Biographical  Sketch  xv 

Her  only  child,  Mary  Elizabeth  Murray,  born  Feb.,  11th,  1848, 
was  married,  Jan.  2nd  1868,  to  Professor  Charles  F.  Hinies,  Ph.D. 
a  member  of  the  faculty  of  Dickinson  College.  Besides  the  edu- 
cational influences  of  her  home  she  was  fortunate  in  the  advan- 
tages afforded  at  that  time  by  the  Mary  Institute  in  Carlisle,  then 
conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Clerc,  rector  of  the  Episcopal  church  in 
Carlisle,  and  Mrs.  Smead,  with  a  corps  of  unusually  excellent 
teachers.  She  was  graduated  in  1866.  The  fondness  for  good 
literature  resulting  from  this  early  training  continued  as  one  of 
her  greatest  resources  for  pleasure.  She  read  broadly  but  dis- 
criminatingly. She  made  three  trips  to  Europe,  with  her  family, 
not  as  a  desultory  traveller,  but  always  with  a  purpose  and  plan, 
enjoying  the  best  there  was  in  natural  scenery,  historical  associa- 
tions, art  and  archaeology,  and  especially  the  glimpses  into  the 
social  life,  with  its  'gemiithlichkeit,'  of  the  old  German  Univer- 
sity town,  which  she  was  permitted  to  enjoy  through  the  cordial 
hospitality  of  the  friends  of  her  husband  in  his  student  days.  As 
a  girl  she  had  become  expert  in  amateur  photography,  before 
the  introduction  of  the  Kodak,  and  the  excellence  of  some  of  her 
earl)^  work  led  to  the  publication,  at  the  request  of  the  publisher, 
of  a  small  illu.strated  book  on  photographic  printing  by  the  pro- 
cesses of  that  day;  and  it  was  only  by  her  practical  cooperation 
that  as  large  a  photographicall}-  illustrated  edition  of  a  History 
of  Dickinson  College  became  a  possibility.  She  was  earnestly 
interested  in  the  college,  the  classes  as  they  came  and  went,  the 
trustees  and  visitors  during  her  husband's  long  connection  with 
the  institution,  all  of  whom  experienced  her  cordial  hospitality. 
Although  her  home  was  the  centre  from  which  radiated  her  interest 
in  everything  that  was  good,  as  a  citizen  of  the  Borough  she  was 
actively  cooperative  with  any  organization  that  seemed  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  its  people.  For  many  years  she  was  a  man- 
ager of  the  Female  Benevolent  Society;  was  on  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Todd  Hospital,  and  its  secretary  from  its  organ- 
ization to  the  time  of  her  decease.  As  a  member  of  the  Civic 
Club,  from  its  organization,  and  for  a  time  Chairman  of  its  Mu- 
nicipal Department,  and  member  of  its  General  Executive  Com- 


xvi  Biographical  Sketch 

mittee  she  took  an  active  part  in  its  work.     As  a  member  of  the 
Travellers'  Club,  no  one  enjoyed  its  meetings  more  than  she. 

The  large  accumulation  of  historical  matter  left  by  her 
father,  much  of  it  necessarily  unarranged,  had  much  of  her  in- 
terested and  affectionate  attention,  and  she  was  engaged  in  pre- 
paring portions  of  it  for  early  publication.  She  selected  from 
the  collection  left  by  her  father,  for  permanent  retention  in  Car- 
lisle, on  account  of  its  peculiar  local  interest,  by  deposit  in  the  J. 
Herman  Bosler  Memorial  Library,  the  Commission  by  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  dated  June  25th,  1775,  of  "WiUiam  Thomson, 
Esquire,"  of  Carlisle  as  "Colonellof  the  Battalion  of  Riflemen  of 
the  Province  of  Pennsylvania;"  the  first  troops  from  south  of  the 
Hudson  to  reach  Boston,  and  who  created  a  sensation  by  their 
unique  character  and  exploits,  and  became  the  1st  Regiment  of 
the  Continental  Line. 

She  became  a  member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of 
Carlisle,  May  24th,  1863,  on  profession  of  faith.  After  her  mar- 
riage in  1868,  whilst  she  retained  her  membership,  as  a  rule, 
she  found  it  her  preference  to  attend  public  worship  on  Sabbath 
with  her  husband,  and  in  1883,  she  transferred  her  membership, 
by  certificate  to  the  1st  Methodist  church  at  Carlisle,  and  soon 
became  actively  cooperative  in  church  work  of  all  kinds.  The 
intimate  relations  with  many  of  the  leading  men  of  that  denomi- 
nation, which  her  position  brought  her  into,  were  a  source  of 
much  interest  and  pleasure  to  her.  She  always,  however,  re- 
tained an  affectionate  interest  in  her  old  church  home,  and  its 
people,  and  all  that  pertained  to  that  denomination,  and  kept  her- 
self well  informed  in  regard  to  it.  After  a  visit  of  several  wrecks 
to  St.  Louis,  and  the  Exposition,  on  her  return  home,  during  a 
short  sojourn  with  a  married  daughter  in  Illinois,  she  was  taken 
ill,  with  what  proved  to  be  pneumonia,  and  passed  away  Decem- 
ber third,  nineteen  hundred  and  four. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Murray  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  S.  Foster, 
of  Philadelphia,  a  daughter  of  Crawford  Foster,  (see  p.  33,) 
who  survives  him. 


Semi-Centennial  Tribute 

to 

The  Founders 

of  the 

2nd  Presbyterian  Church 

Carlisle,  Pennsylvania, 

January  12,  1883 


"Tell  ye  your  children  of  it,  and  let  your  children 
tell  their  children,  and  their  children  another  genera- 
tion."— Joel  i:  3. 


By 
JOSEPH  A.  MURRAY 


To   THE 

Descendants  and  Successors 

OF   THE 

Early  Pre^sbyterian  Settlers 

OF 

Cumberland  County  Pennsylvania, 

is  this  humble  memorial 

dedicated 

By  the  Author. 


PREFATORY  STATEMENT. 


WE  regard  with  feelings  akin  to  those  of  veneration  that 
which  has  existed  through  successive  generations,  and 
which  has  been  the  acknowledged  means  of  un- 
measured good  to  mankind.  This  is  true  of  some  of  the  churches 
of  our  valley,  churches  of  the  olden  time,  gathered  during  the 
first  half  of  the  last  century,  and  still  strong  and  active  and  in- 
fluential; and  our  chief  regret  now  is,  that  we  know  so  little  of 
their  organization  and  early  history,  or  of  those  whose  piety  and 
zeal  and  self-denial  thus  led  them  to  honor  Him  in  whom  they 
trusted,  as  the  actors  then  living  have  long  since  disappeared, 
and  there  is  also  in  regard  to  these  things  a  lamentable  want  of 
documentary  and  historic  records  as  well  as  traditional  utterances. 
Hence  it  is  eminently  proper  and  desirable  to  secure  and  pre- 
serve, while  we  have  an  opportunity,  or  while  the  material  is 
available  and  reliable,  the  history  of  those  churches,  the  origin 
of  which  is  comparatively  recent,  but  whose  healthful  growth 
and  vigor  and  influence  for  good,  thus  far,  may  be  safely  re- 
garded as  so  many  guarantees  of  an  ecclesiastical  longevity  that 
is  destined  in  the  gracious  purpose  of  heaven  to  extend  far  hence 
in  the  future,  and  be  a  blessing  to  our  land  and  the  world. 

We  greatly  hesitated  before  we  consented  to  engage  in  this 
work,  but  finally  yielded  to  the  desire  of  the  worthy  pastor  to  do 
it;  because  we  were  induced  to  believe  that,  as  we  had  been  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  the  Founders  of  this  church,  it  fittingly 
devolved  upon  us  to  render  the  service  desired,  and  to  do  it  as  a 
labor  of  love.  We  felt,  too,  that  something  of  a  peculiar  obliga- 
tion rested  upon  us  to  do  it,  in  consequence  of  a  Resolution  by 
the  Board  of  Trustees  in  May  of  1860,  according  to  which  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed — consisting  of  the  pastor  at  that  time.  Rev. 
Mr.  W.  W.  Eells,  with  Messrs  Andrew  Blair,  Robert  Irvine, 
James  Hamilton  and  the  writer — who  were  "authorized  to  collect 
and  arrange  the  documents  and  ascertain  the  facts  connected 
with  the  Origin,  Separation,  and  History  of  this  church,  and  to 
prepare  the  same  for  publication,"  and  excepting  Mr.  Eells,  who 

[3] 


4  Prefatory  Statement. 

has  been  living  for  many  years  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  the 
writer  is,  and  has  been  for  the  last  ten  years,  the  sole  survivor 
of  the  committee. 

It  was  then  distinctly  understood  that  the  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  was  collecting  and  preparing  material  for  the  history  of 
said  church,  (commenced  "about  1858"  and  published  in  "1877"), 
and  it  was  deemed  advisable  that  the  same  service  should  be  done 
in  behalf  of  the  Second  Church.  In  giving  what  we  intend  on 
this  occasion  we  do  not  profess  to  cover  the  entire  ground  evi- 
dently contemplated  by  the  Resolution — though  we  have  an 
abundance  of  material — as,  under  the  existing  condition  of  af- 
fairs, we  do  not  consider  it  prudent  or  necessary,  nor  have  we 
any  inclination  to  do  so,  and  hope  that  which  we  have  done  will 
be  accepted  as  an  equivalent. 

Very  carefully  have  we  collected  the  material,  and  then 
most  anxiously  have  we  endeavored  to  verify  every  statement 
that  we  have  made;  and  if  aught  that  we  have  written  shall  con- 
flict with  other  opinions,  previously  and  elsewhere,  given,  it  is 
not  that  we  have  been  entirely  ignorant  of  the  latter,  but  be- 
cause, after  very  thorough  examination  and  consideration,  they 
have  been  regarded  as  somewhat  erroneous.  We  give  this  pro- 
duction not  as  faultless  or  entirely  devoid  of  mistakes,  but  as  the 
result  of  great  carefullness,  and  of  as  much  research  as  our  limited 
time  would  permit;  we  do  not  claim  perfect  accuracy  in  all  the 
statements  made,  but  we  do  claim  to  have  exercised  the  most  ex- 
treme care  and  effort  to  secure  such  accuracy,  and  we  believe 
there  are  no  serious  errors  in  it.  The  sincere  friend  of  historical 
truth  will  not  be  offended,  if,  in  any  instance,  his  own  opinion  or 
utterance  has  been  found  controvertible  and,  as  such,  corrected, 
so  as  to  harmonize  with  the  rigid  demands  of  historical  accuracy.* 

In  the  beautiful  language  of  another,  which  we  here  make 
our  own:  "every  passing  day  increases  the  labor  of  research,  and 
a  few  years  will  obliterate  all  that  we  should  desire  to  remember 
and  preserve  of  our  annals.  We  work  like  the  lapidary,  to  re- 
place the  scattered  dies  of  a  mosaic,  "f 

*The  address  was  delivered  in  Jan.  1883,  but  was  prepared  for  publica- 
tion later,  which  will  account  for  the  occasional  notice  of  an  event  that  has 
since  occurred. 

V'The  Foruvi"  by  David  Paul  Brown. 


I.     EARLY  HISTORY— INTRODUCTORY. 


'•'■There  were  giants  in  those  days.'''' 


SINCE  the  first  settlement  of  our  lovely  and  fertile  valley, 
which  brought  here  some  of  the  choice  and  winnowed 
wheat  from  the  unpropitious  soil  and  climate  of  the  old 
world,  it  has  been  the  admired  home  of  a  moral,  thrifty,  and  in 
telligent  people.  These  have  produced  at  various  times  both 
men  and  women  of  distinction,  citizens  of  commanding  character 
and  influence,  w^ho,  like  the  towering  oaks  and  vines  here  and 
there  formerly  scattered  throughout  our  grand  old  forrests,  were 
prominent  and  attractive,  and  served  special  purposes,  but  never- 
theless, had  the  very  desirable  companionship  of  many  others, 
who,  though  not  so  conspicuous,  were  equally  as  well  developed, 
no  less  vigorous,  more  easily  utilized,  and  more  generally  valu- 
able. 

The  early  settlers,  chiefly  Scotch-Irish  in  their  origin, 
though  not  perfect,  were  a  brave,  and  hardy,  and  enterprising 
people,  simple  in  their  habits,  adapted  to  the  demands  and  emer- 
gencies of  their  new  home,  and  who,  in  an  advanced  degree,  un- 
derstood and  appreciated  their  personal  rights,  and  conscien- 
tiously observed  their  obligations  to  God  and  their  country.  In 
every  sphere  of  life — social,  civil,  militar}^  and  ecclesiastical — 
their  record  is  generally  a  creditable  one,  and  merits  this  favor- 
able recognition. 

Such  a  priceless  legacy  of  Divinely  selected  parentage  de- 
serves to  be  held  in  high  estimation  and  suitably  improved;  and 
if  the  children  of  such  ancestry  were  favored  by  their  birthplace 
and  its  surroundings,  much  more  so  have  been  the  succeeding 
generations,  in  their  cumulative  means  and  facilities  of  training 
and  culture,  as  well  as  proportionably  greater  ought  to  be  the 
development  and  improvement  of  character  in  every  position  and 


6  Pkesbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

relation  of  life,  aud  such  we  fondly  hope  has  been  the  general  re- 
sult. 

In  their  incipient  or  rudimental  state,  the  Home,  the  School, 
and  the  Church  then  formed  a  trinity  of  sacred  interests  and  in- 
fluences, a  union  of  inseparable  factors,  in  the  healthy  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  early  inhabitants,  that,  has  never  since 
been  rudely  violated,  and  we  trust,  never  will  be  impaired  or  im- 
perilled. Nor  should  it  be  forgotten,  that,  in  these  several  instru- 
mentalities of  intellectual  and  spiritual  culture,  that  inimitable 
compend  of  Biblical  truth,  the  Catechism  of  the  Westminster  As- 
sembly of  Divines,  justly  held  a  front-rank  position,  and  greatly 
contributed  to  the   formation  of  stalwart  character. 

We  are  glad  to  say  that  we  have  still  within  the  limits  of 
our  ancient  Borough,  and  occupying  a  commanding  site  on  our 
public  square,  a  large  and  beautiful  edifice  which  we  gratefully 
and  pleasurably  recognise  as  a  laudable  and  permanent  monument 
of  the  sterling  virtue,  liberty,  and  independence  of  the  men  and 
women  of  more  than  a  century  ago — a  building  whose  firm  foun- 
dation and  symmetrical  and  substantial  superstructure  fitly  sym- 
bolize and  perpetuate  the  taste  and  talent  and  solid  worth  of 
those  who  planned  and  planted  it.  Thither  did  our  sires  repair 
to  worship  the  God  of  their  fathers  in  the  manner  of  their  own 
choice,  and  according  to  their  own  conscience  and  judgement, 
and  thither  ever  since  have  succeeding  generations  gone  for  the 
same  holy  and  cherished  purpose.  Long  may  it  stand,  as  sound 
and  scriptural  in  faith  and  practice  of  those  who  resort  there  as 
it  is  firm  and  steadfast  in  its  well-set  and  regular  walls  from  base 
to  summit;  and  long  may  it  continue  to  be  a  great  center  of 
spiritual  light  and  life,  whence  shall  flow  streams  of  influences 
that  shall  elevate  man  and  honor  God;  and  in  this  way,  from 
generation  to  generation,  testify  and  express  a  suitable  regard 
for  the  memory  and  virtues  of  its  departed  founders. 

Early  in  the  settlement  of  our  valley  was  the  Upper  Pennsbor- 
ough    Presbyterian   congregation    established    at    the    Meeting- 


Eari^y  History.  7 

House  Springs*,  where  the  old  graveyard  is,  and  where  it  ptob- 
ably  continued  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,--including  the 
time  prior  to  the  first  installation,  also  the  first  ten  years  pastor- 
ate of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Thomsonf  from  November,  1739,  to 
November  1749,— as  well  as  some  of  the  succeeding  years  when 
the  Rev.  John  Steel  was  the  pastor.  ^  During  a  portion  of  this 
time,  a  church  stood  on  lot  136,  at  the  southwest  intersection  of 
Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets,  where  the    Rev.    George    Dufiield 

*It,  and  the  congregation  of  Lower  Pennsborough,  now  Silver  Spring 
there  is  reason  to  believe,  were  the  first  Presbyterian  congregations  west  of 
the  Susquehanna  nver— originally  known  as  the  people  over  the  river  and 
as  the  Upper  and  Lower  Settlement  of  the  Conodoguinet.  But  John  Craio-- 
head  was  actually  installed  pastor  of  Hopewell,  now  Big  Spring  the  year 
previous  to  the  installation  of  Samuel  Thomson.  Since  then  "what  hath 
God  wrought  ?"  Verily,  "The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof 
we  are  glad."  ' 

Our  oldest  churches  had  an  inchoate  existence  and  were  visited  by 
Presbytenal  supplies  before  anyone  of  them  had  an  installed  pastor;  and 
though  the  early  records  of  Presbytery  inform  us  as  to  the  precise  time  of 
an  installation,  yet  it  is  not  known  just  when,  previously,  the  congregation 
had  been  gathered  together;  and  doubtless,  in  some  instances,  the  Gospel 
had  been  preached  and  the  ordinances  had  been  administered  in  private 
nouses,  or  in  the  open  air,  or  temporary  buildings,  (sometimes  a  "tent  "  or 
sheltering  roof  of  boards,  with  or  without  the  sides  enclosed,  and  sometimes 
of  logs,  or  a  frame  structure  weatherboarded,  covered  with  clap-boards  and 
having  rough  seats  or  benches),  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  large  and  sub- 
stantial stone  edifices,  some  of  which  are  yet  standing  at  several  sacred 
spots,  and  near  memorable  springs  throughout  the  Cumberland  Valley. 

tMr.  Thomson  finally  settled  at  Great  Conewago,  and  died  in  1787  (J4^ed- 
ster,  462  Nevin,  234).  The  remains  of  his  first  wife  were  interred  in  the 
graveyard  at  the  Meeting-House  Springs,  and  the  old  sandstone  bears  this 
inscription:  "Here  lyth  ye  body  of  Janet  Thomson  wife  to  ye  Rev.  Samuel 
Thomson  who  deed.  Sep.  26,  1744,  aged  33  years."-with  some  curious 
figures  or  symbols  above  the  inscription.  This  inscription,  now  almost 
Illegible,  we  carefully  copied  many  years  ago.  Mr.  Thomson,  it  may  be 
added,  was  married  twice,  and  his  first  wife  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  Holmes 
c  "at'  °^J^o"">'  ?/ook,  and  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  William  Thomson' 
bo  Mrs.  Dr.  Davidson,  ned  Holmes,  repeatedly  informed  me, 

tMr.  Steel  was  from  Ireland.  He  had  been  commissioned  a  mijitarv 
L-aptain,  as  well  as  previously  a  minister  of  the  Gospel;  he  died  here  in 
August,  1779,  aged  sixty-four  years,  having  been  pastor  of  the  church  twenty 
;i^^v;  His  gravestone  is  a  short  distance  south  of  the  brick  inclosure  of 
the  McUure  and  McCroskry  family  ground,  in  the  old  graveyard  of  our 
Borough.  • 


8  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

ministered,*  and  also  "a  two-story  house  of  worship,"  on  lot 
177,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Hanover  and  Louther  streets, 
and  known  as  "Mr.  Steel's  meeting  house  in  Carlisle" — so  called 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  one  at  the  Meeting  House  Springs  and 
also  from  Mr.  Duffield's  church  in  town.  As  this  statement  is  a 
novel,  but  a  true  and  valuable  one,  we  will  here  give  our  reasons 
for  it.  An  old  deed  is  in  existence,!  that  was  granted  April 
16th,  1761,  by  Thomas  and  Richard  Penn  to  the  "congregation 
of  Presbyterians  under  the  ministry  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  John 
Steel,"  for  a  lot  of  giound  in  Carlisle,  and  the  trustees  named  in 
it  are,  Thomas  Wilson,  John  Davies,  John  Byers,  William  Speer, 
John  Montgomery,  and  Ezekiel  Smith.  The  lot  is  described  as 
60  by  240  feet,  and  number  177  in  the  "General  plan;"  bounded 
on  the  south  by  "I^owther"  street,  west  by  Hanover  street, 
north  by  lot  178,  and  east  by  lot  191 — which  limits  clearly 
indicate  it  as  lot  177  at  the  northeastern  intersection  of  the 
two  streets  specified.  This  is  very  definite  and  satisfactory. 
But,  in  addition,  there  is  a  plan  of  Carlisle,  made  in  1764, 
on  which  the  lot  at  that  corner,  as  described  in  the  parch- 
ment deed  of  1761,  is  not  only  numbered  "177,"  but  it  also  con- 
veys to  us  the  information  that  a  "Meeting-House"  then  stood 
there,  which  we  now  certainly  know  was  Mr.  Steel's — just  as  the 
same  plan  gives  us  to  understand  that  a  "Meeting-House"  stood 
on  lot  136,  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret 
streets,  and  which  belonged  to  Mr.  DufiSeld's  New  Side  Congre- 
gation. These  are  interesting  and  important  facts,  now  published 
for  the  first  time,|  and  they  settle  conclusively  the  locality  of  the 


*This  church  was  destroyed  by  fire,  March  ii,  179S.  Mr.  Duffield  was 
grandfather  of  the  Rev.  Geo.  Duffield,  who  was  pastor  of  the  other  church 
from  1816  to  1855.  He  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  1732;  graduated 
at  Nassau  Hall  in  1752;  studied  Theology  under  Dr.  Robert  Smith;  came  to 
Carlisle  probably  in  1757;  his  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Blair,  and  his  second  was  a  sister  of  Col.  John  Armstrong,  of  Carlisle.  He 
lived  on  lot  292,  south  side.  East  Main  street.  In  1772  he  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, to  become  pastor  of  the  Third  Church,  and  there  died  in  1790. 

tThis  parchment  was  found  among  the  papers  of  the  late  Judge  Graham 
of  Carlisle.    See  Appendix  J. 

tjanuary  12th,  1883. 


Eaki.y  History.  9 

church  which  preceded  the  present  stone  church  that  stands  on 
the  northwestern  section  of  the  square.  It  is  also  worthy  of 
notice  that  these  two  old  churches — the  first  of  the  kind  in  Car- 
lisle— were  precisely  the  same  distance  from  the  centre  square, 
and  in  opposite  directions  from  it,  the  one  south  and  the  other 
north  of  it.  It  is  true  that  the  deed  was  not  granted  for  the  lot 
177  until  1761,  yet  it  is  not  improbable,  that  the  two-storied 
house  of  worship  was  erected  on  it  some  time  previously,  as  it 
was  not  uncommon  for  ground  to  be  claimed,  and  even  occupied, 
before  a  perfectly  full  title  was  given  for  it,  and  this  fact  explains 
the  meeting  of  Presbytery  there  in  October,  1760,  by  a  resolu- 
tion adopted  at  a  previous  meeting  in  April.  (It  is  a  mistake  to 
say  it  was  in  "1759,"  as  stated  by  others*).  It  is  worthy  too  of 
being  mentioned  here,  that  on  the  old  plan  of  our  Borough, 
which  was  made  in  1764,  by  Judge  Creigh,  a  Presbyterian  elder, 
there  is  a  drawing  of  what  is  designated  as  the  "Episcopal 
Church,"  (which  was  a  small  stone  building  erected  about  1760, 
and  taken  down   in   1824),   on  the   northeastern   section  of  the 


*Dr.  Nevin/n\  his  "Churches  of  the  Valley,"  published  in  1S52,  says: 
"As  we  find  in  the  Records  of  Presbytery  of  April  i6th,  1760,  a  resolution  to 
meet  the  third  Tuesday  of  October,  at  Mr.  Steel's  meeting-house  in  Car- 
h'sle,"  &c.  p.  237. 

Dr.  Wing-m  his  history  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carlisle," 
published  in  1877,  p.  71,  says:  "As  early  as  October,  1759,  the  Presbytery 
stood  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  Steel's  meeting-house  in  Carlisle." 

In  the  summer  of  1882  I  wrote  to  the  vStated  Clerk  of  our  Presbytery  to 
furnish  me  the  true  expression  of  th«  old  records  in  regard  to  the  above 
matter.  He  replied,  that  the  volume  containing  the  desired  information, 
had  been,  by  resolution  of  Presbytery,  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  W.  C. 
Lane,  of  Mercersburg.  Knowing  Dr.  Lane  personally  and  by  correspond- 
ence, as  the  Franklin  County  Historian,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  him,  stating 
what  Dr,  Nevin  had  pubh'shed  in  1852,  and  what  Dr.  Wing  had  published  in 
1877;  and  as  I  had  supposed  the  first  statement  to  be  correct,  I  wished  him 
to  examine  carefully  the  original  minutes,  then  in  his  hands,  and  let  me  know 
the  exact  truth  iu  the  case.  From  his  reply  I  make  the  following  extract: 
"The  quotation  from  "Churches  of  the  Valley"  is  verbatim  ct  literatiin  cor- 
rect. Presbytery  met  in  Oct.  30th,  1759,  at  Pequea,  and  after  a  short  session 
adjourned  to  the  3d  Tue.sday  of  April,  to  meet  at  Donegal.  On  the  same 
page,  the  meeting,  or  rather  the  minutes  of  the  next  meeting,  April  i6th 
1760,  are  recorded.  On  the  margin  of  the  page  are  the  dates,  1759  and  1760, 
opposite  the  minutes.  Dr.  Wing  by  overlooking  the  lower  figures,  1760, 
might  easily  make  the  mistake.     Dr.  Nevin  is  right." 


10  Presbyterian  Chukches,  Carlisle,  Pa, 

centre  square;  aud  on  the  northwestern  section  of  the  square 
there  is  no  picture  or  drawing  of  any  kind,  but  siniplj^  these  three 
words,  "Presbyterian  church  ground."  This  was  in  1764,  when 
the  Old  Side  Presbyterians  had  their  "Meeting-House,  at  the 
corner  of  Hanover  and  lyouther  streets,  as  stated  in  the  old  deed 
and  indicated  on  the  old  plan,  and  when  the  New  Side  had  their 
"Meeting-House"  at  the  corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets, 
(the  agreement  for  the  sale  of  which  is  also  in  existence),  and, 
in  as  much  as  the  Episcopalions  had  already  their  church  edifice 
on  the  northeastern  quarter  of  the  square,  it  is  very  probable  that 
the  Presbyterians  may  have  selected  and  claimed  the  northwestern 
quarter,  (though  not  yet  occupied,  and  for  which  the  warrant 
was  not  granted  until  Sept.  12th.,  1766),*  for  their  prospective 
church  there,  which  is  the  present  building,  and  which  was  not 
commenced  until  1769,  nor  was  it  entirely  finished  until  many 
years  afterwards. 

It  is  probable  that  the  church  at  the  Meeting-House  Springs 
— presumably  a  wooden  structure,  as  were  the  first  two  in  town — 
may  have  been  erected  some  time  before  the  installation  of  Mr. 
Thomson,  and  may  have  been  gradually  and  finally  disused 
after  the  church  in  town  had  been  erected,  sa)^  about  1735  to 
about  1765.  As  early  as  1734,  "the  people  over  the  Susque- 
hanna," or  "the  settlement  over  the  river,"  had  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  gospel  by  appointment  of  Presbytery;  and  such,  we 
suppose,  may  have  been  the  case  from  1749  to  1759,  the  interval 
between  the  pastorates  of  Mr.  Thomson  and  Mr.  Steel,  t  It  is 
also  probable,  that  "Mr.  Steel's  meeting-house  in  Carlisle"  was 
erected  not  long  after  he  had  been  installed  the  successor  of  Mr. 
Thomson,  and  it  is  no  less  probable,  that  the  old  church  at  the 
Meeting-House  Springs  did  not  continue  in  use  very  much  longer. 
The  present  stone  church,  on  the  northwest  part  of  the  square, 
could  not  have  been  used  before  1772. 


*See  Record  Book  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  Court,  Carlisle,  U. 
U.  Vol.  I.  p.  430. 

tThe  volume  of  the  Records  of  the  Donegal  Presbytery  from  1750  to 
1759  has  been  lost,  and  we  cannot  say  certainly  how  the  church  was  served, 
whether  by  supplies  or  by  a  settled  ministry. 


Eakly  Histoky.  11 

Tradition  informs  us  that  now  and  then,  as  a  matter  of  con- 
venience or  necessity,  the  old  court-house  in  Carlisle  had  been 
used  as  a  place  of  pu])lic  worship.  Certain  it  is,  such  had  been 
for  a  long  time  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  in  consequence 
of  Indian  excursions  and  depredations,  that  it  was  not  easy  to 
observe  and  maintain  regularly  the  means  of  grace,  nor  to  pre- 
serve data  or  records  of  church  matters,  and  hence  we  can  not 
now  determine  with  absolute  certainty  just  when  the  first  churches 
were  erected  in  town,  or  precisely  how  long  they  had  been  used 
as  such,  though  in  each  case,  we  have  certainly  approximated  it 
as  nearly  as  can  be.  These  rival  churches,  however,  existed  in 
consequence  of  the  first  schism  in  our  denomination,  which  ex- 
tended from  1741  to  1758,  and  the  two  bodies  were  distinguished 
as  Old  and  New  Lights,  or  Old  and  New  Side,— Mr.  Steel  repre- 
senting the  Old,  and  Mr.  Duffield  the  New.  This  early  schism, 
lasting  17  years,  was  of  shorter  duration  than  the  comparatively 
recent  division  between  the  Old  and  New  School  branches  of  the 
Presbyterian  family,  v^'hich  lasted  about  thirty-three  years,  from 
1837  to  1870,  and  we  hope  there  will  never  be  any  occasion  for 
another.  In  general  the  first  schism  was  the  result  of  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  in  regard  to  revivals  and  also  the  necessary 
qualijications  for  the  ministry,  and  the  second  schism  involved 
measures  and  doctrines,  with,  perhaps,  some  mutual  misunder- 
standings and  misrepresentations.  Though  the  g-eneral  schism 
had  been  syuodically  healed  in  1758,  yet  the  complete  reunion 
between  the  two  congregations  in  Carlisle  was  not  consummated, 
and  the  people  did  not  meet  in  the  same  church  until  years  after- 
wards. There  was  considerable  feeling  engendered  and  trouble 
occasioned  when  the  first  churches  were  built  in  town — probably 
about  1758  or  1759,  and  subsequently.  Mr.  Duffield  having  re- 
ceived a  call  to  Philadelphia,  left  Carlisle  about  the  time  the  pres- 
ent church  was  erected;*  and  afterwards,  when  time  and  reflection 
and  Divine  grace  caused  alienation  to  disappear,  the  two  parties 

*It  was  commenced  in  1769;  after  the  massive  foundation  had  been  laid 
the  work  was  interrupted,  but  finally  the  church  was  erected  in  1772,  and 
Dr.  Duffield  left  Carlisle  the  same  year. 


12  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

ecclesiastically  coalesced.  The  New  Side  finished  and  occupied 
the  gallery  of  the  other  church,  not  then  entirely  completed,  and 
gradually  came  down  as  the  pews  on  the  lower  floor  became 
vacated.  This  harmonious  settlement  was  effected  in  May  of 
1786,  chiefly  through  the  judicious  and  conciliatory  influence  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Davidson — "a  blessed  peacemaker."  This  is 
the  simple  and  beautiful  epitaph  on  his  gravestone,  the  well 
merited  tribute  of  his  only  son,  who,  long  afterwards,  said  of 
him:  "His  benignity  of  disposition  and  exemplary  character 
helped  to  heal  previously  existing  alienations  and  consolidated 
all  parties,  both  Old  and  New  Lights,  in  uninterrupted  har- 
mony."* We  have  the  original  terms  of  union,  as  well  as  the 
list  of  the  names  of  those  persons  who  had  taken  pews  on  the 
gallery,  in  June  following  the  union,  including  about  50  names, 
and  some  of  these  among  our  oldest  and  best  families.^  i  At  first 
Dr.  Davidson,  then  professor  in  Dickinson  College,  preached  to 
the  congregation  part  of  the  day,  and  Dr.  Nisbet,  President  of 
the  college,  the  other  partx 

*See  Dr.  Davidson's  "Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia," 1S76,  p.  62.  The  father  was  born  at  Elkton,  Md.,  in  1750,  and 
graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1771.  When  22  years  old 
he  was  licensed,  and  soon  afterwards  ordained.  When  23  years  old  he  was 
appointed  instructor  in  his  abiia  tnater,  and  shortly  afterwards  chosen  pro- 
fessor of  History,  and  assistant  to  Dr.  Ewing,  pastor  of  the  ist  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  34  years  old  when,  in  1784,  he  became 
Vice  President  of  Dickinson  Colleize  and  professor  of  History  and  Belles- 
Lettres,  and  also  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carlisle.  About  the 
time  he  left  the  city  the  University  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity.  In  1796  he  was  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly.  For 
several  years  after  Dr.  Nisbet's  death,  Dr.  Davidson  discharged  the  duties 
of  College  President  He  was  a  prominent  educator,  minister  and  writer; 
very  greatly  beloved  by  his  flock,  whom  he  served  until  his  death,  Dec.  13th, 
1872.  He  had  been  married  three  times;  and  by  his  second  wife — daughter 
of  John  Montgomery — he  had  his  only  child,  a  son,  born  here  Feb.  23rd, 
1808;  and  who,  like  his  father,  became  distinguished  in  our  church  as  an 
educator,  preacher,  and  author;  who  often  towards  the  close  of  his  useful 
life,  ministered  with  great  acceptation  to  the  2nd  Church  of  Carlisle,  and 
died  in  Philadelphia,  April  6th,  1876.  Both  father  and  son  rest  in  our  old 
graveyard. 

tSee  Appexdix  A;  also  B. 

XRupp's  "History  of  Cumberland  &c.  Counties"  p.  421.  Nevitt's 
"Churches  of  the  Valley,''  p.  237. 


Early  History.  13 

In  regard  to  the  union,  it  would  seem  that  each  of  the  two 
congregations  had  appointed  a  committee  with  full  power  to  ar- 
range for  it.  The  committee  appointed  by  Mr.  Duffield's  then 
took  charge,  prepared  certain  terms  of  union  to  submit  to  the 
other  party,  which  are  given  in  the  lately  published  history  of 
the  First  Church.*  But  the  writer  of  that  history  adds,  that 
though  these  terms  were  "probably  accepted,"  yet  that  they  are 
"without  date  and  without  any  direct  evidence  of  being  received. ' ' 
We  have  among  our  old  church  papers  the  "Proposals  for  a 
Union"  from  the  Old  Side,  brief  and  very  kindly  expressed,  but 
they  are  also  without  date.  What  is  more  important,  however, 
we  have  another  old  paper  that  gives  the  "Terms  agreed  to  by 
the  committees  of  the  two  congregations  in  Carlisle  for  effecting 
a  Union,"  and  it  is  dated  "May  5th,  1786."  These  terms,  like 
those  published  in  the  aforesaid  history,  are  six  in  number,  but 
more  concise,  and  also  differ  somewhat  in  the  terms  proposed. f 

The  first  well  known  intimation  of  the  proposed  erection  of 
a  church  on  "the  north  side  of  the  square"  was  in  "1757"- — we 
refer  to  the  memorable  and  often  misquoted  and  uncorroborated 
paragraph  from  the  Armstrong  letter  of  June  30th,  1757;|  but 
it  really  was  not  until  twelve  years  afterwards  that  the  present 
venerable  and  imposing  church  structure  was  commenced,  and 
it  is  not  very  certain  when  it  was  entirelj^  completed.  For  years 
we  have  had  in  our  possession  the  original  contracts  for  the 
building  of  the  old  stone  church,  all  signed,  and  witnessed  auto- 
graphicalh%  and  they  fully  verify  the  statement  here  made.**  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  it  was  roofed  in  1772,  and  then  used 
as  a  place  of  worship,  but  it  was  not  entirely  finished  and  fur- 
nished until  nearly  twenty  years  afterwards. ft  In  it  the  symp- 
athizing element  of  the  town  and  its  vicinity  continued  to  wor- 
ship for  about  sixty  years,  when  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
was  founded. 


*  Wing's  History,  p.  125. 

tSee  Appendix,  A. 

tSee  Appendix,  C. 

**See  Appendix,  D. 

ttAs  evidence  of  this  statement,  see  Appendix,  E. 


14  Presbyterian  Churchp:s,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

II.     THE  SECOND  CHURCH  ORGANIZED. 

We  have  thus  briefly  referred  to  the  origin  and  progress  of 
Presbyterianism  in  our  neighborhood,  and  have  done  so  inasmuch 
as  we  regard  it  as  a  legacy  in  which  we  are  all  interested,  those  of 
the  Second  no  less  than  those  of  the  First  Church.  It  is  a  com- 
mon and  yet  an  uncommon  inheritance, — common,  as  belonging 
to  us  both,  and  uncommon  because  of  its  intrinsic  value,  its  his- 
toric associations,  and  its  directing  and  controlling  power  for 
good  in  the  grand  march  of  a  high  and  God-fearing  civilization 
in  our  land  and  the  world.  Without  here  giving  a  history  of 
the  separation,  or  detailing  the  causes  which  led  to  it,  suffice  it 
to  say,  that,  in  the  autumn  of  1832,  for  reasons  considered  good 
and  sufficient,  a  petition  from  members  of  "the  Presbyterian 
congregation  of  Carlisle,"  was  presented  to  Presbytery,  meeting 
then  in  Newville,  asking  to  be  organized  into  a  separate  church, 
on  and  after  the  first  of  the  following  January.  This  petition 
was  signed  by  seventy-seven  persons;  65  of  whom  were  com- 
municants, 3  Ruling  Elders,  4  Deacons,  and  6  Trustees  in  the 
other  church.  The  petition  was  unanimously  granted,  and  the 
Rev.  James  Williamson  and  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Quay  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  organize  the  church,  agreeably  to  the  desire  of 
the  petitioners.* 

As  a  matter  of  historical  value,  and  no  less  pertinent  to  the 
present  occasion,  we  will  here  give  from  one  of  the  Carlisle  news- 
papers of  that  time  an  official  report  of  the  proceedings  connected 
with  the  organization  of  this  church,  just  fifty  years  ago;  and 
we  do  it  all  the  more  willingly  as  not  a  printing  office  in  town 
has  any  files  of  the  papers  published  here  at  that  time,  and  hence 
to  many  persons  the  account  will  be   alike  new,  and  interesting. 

"SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH." 

Carlisle,  Jan.  12,  1833. 

"The  Committee  consisting  of  the  Rev.  Messrs  James  Will- 
iamson and  A.  B.  Quay,  appointed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Car- 
lisle to  organize  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  hi  Carlisle, 
met  this  day  at  the  County  Hall,  together  with  the  persons 

*For  a  copy  of  the  petition,  as  well  as  some  accompaning  items  of  in- 
formation, see  Appendix,  F. 


Early  History.  15 

who  have  been  set  off,  agreeably  to  this  petition,  as  a  sepa- 
rate congregation.*  Mr.  Quay  preached  a  sermon  from 
Psalms  62:7 — "My  refuge  is  in  God."  After  an  hour's  in- 
termission and  praj'er  for  direction,  the  Committee  proceeded 
formally  to  organize  the  church.  The  names  of  the  persons, 
of  whom  the  Committee  had  satisfactory  evidence  of  being 
in  full  communion  in  the  Presbyterian  Cliurch,  were  an- 
nounced as  members  of  this  church.  The  congregation  then 
proceeded  to  the  choice  of  Elders  and  Deacons,  and  Messrs 
Andrew  Blair,  John  McClure,  and  Robert  Clark,  were  de- 
clared to  be  duly  elected  Ruling  Elders;  and  Messrs  Peter 
B.  Smith,  Robert  Irvine,  Robert  GiflFen,  and  John  Proctor, 
Deacojis,  who,  having  been  formerly  ordained  to  their  re- 
spective ofhces,  were  now  installed  as  Elders  and  Deacons 
respectively  in  this  Church. 

"At  a  congregational  meeting, held  after  the  above  services, 
the  following  proceedings  were  had: — Mr.  Robert  Clark  wzs 
appointed  Chairman  and  J.  Hamilton  Secretary:  It  was 
then,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Andrew  'SAo.ir, u)i an if)iously' Resolved, 
that  a  Committee  of  Twelve  members  be  appointed,  whose 
duty  it  shall  be  to  superintend  the  Financial  affairs  of  the 
Congregation  for  one  year,  or  until  a  charter  be  procured, 
if  that  be  obtained  within  the  year:  Any  five  of  said  Com- 
mittee shall  con.stitute  a  quotum  for  the  transaction  of  all 
business  of  said  Committee.  The  said  Committee,  or  a 
quorum  thereof,  duly  met  together,  shall  have  power  to  ap- 
point a  Treasurer,  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  to  pay  out  all 
monies  receive^  by  him,  on  the  orders  of  said  Committee,  or 
of  any  Sub-commitiee  that  may  be  appointed  by  them,  for 
examining  and  allowing  accounts  against  the  Congregation, 
for  paying  supplies:  And  that 

George  A.  Eyon,  Abraham  Lamberton, 

C.  B.  Penrose,  John  Hays, 

John  Stuart,  William  Irvine, 

James  Hamilton,  John  Agnew, 

A.  C.  Gregg,  John  Williamson, 

Crawford  Foster,    and    Andrew  Holmes, 
be  that  Committee.' 

"The  following  Resolution  offered  by  Geo.  A.  Lyon,  Esq., 
was  also  agreed  to  unanimousl}-: 

*The  County  Hall,  or  Grand  Jury  Room,  was  a  large  room  at  the  .south 
end  and  second  story  of  the  Public  Buildings,  in  Carlisle,  destroyed  by  fire 
on  Monday  morning,  March  24th,  1845. 


16  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

'Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  members  be  appointed 
to  obtain  a  charter  of  Incorporation  for  this  Congregation, 
granting  to  us  all  the  rights  and  immunities  of  a  Presbyterian 
Church,  agreeabl}^  to  the  laws  of  this  Commonwealth, — and 
that 

Dr.  John.Paxton,  Chas.  B.  Penrose, 

John  McClure,  George  Metzger, 

and  Peter  B.  Smith, 
be  that  Committee.'* 

"On  motion  of  Dr.  Paxton  it  was, 

'Resolved,  nem.  con.  That  a  committee  of  fifteen  persons 
be  appointed  to  procure  subscriptions  in  this  County,  and  in 
such  other  places  as  a  majority  of  said  committee  shall  think 
proper  to  direct,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  us  in  the  purchase 
of  a  lot  of  ground,  and  erecting  a  suitable  house  of  worship, 
that  said  committee,  or  a  majority  of  them,  be,  and  they  are 
hereby  authorized  to  purchase  a  suitable  site  for  the  said 
building,  and  make  a  report  of  their  proceedings  to  a  future 
meeting  of  the  congregation,  and  that  James  Hamilton,  Gil- 
bert Searight,  James  Thompson,  Benjamin  Fernald,  John 
Huston,  George  Metzger,  Andrew  Holmes,  John  Hays,  Wm. 
B.  Murray,  John  Agnew,  Charles  B.  Penrose,  Abraham 
I^amberton,  Wm.  Irvine,  Robert  Young,  and  Geo.  A.  Lyon 
be  said  committe.f 

"On  motion  of  Dr.  Paxton,  it  was 
'Resolved,    unanimously.     That    the  Assembly's    Book   of 
Psalms  and  Hymns  is  the  system  of  Psalmody  approved  of, 
and  adopted  for  use  by  this  congregation.' 

"It  was  then  ordered:  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meet- 
ing, duly  attested,  be  handed  for  publication  to  the  editors 
of  the  different  papers  in  this  borough. 

"Robert  Clark,  Chairman. 
Attest 

J.  Hamilton,  Secretary." 

The  foregoing  we  have  faithfully  copied  from  the  Carlisle 
Expositor  of  Monday,  Jan.  28,  1833,  the  several  numbers  of 
which  we  happen  to  have.  In  the  report  that  we  have  copied 
the  new  year  of  "1833"  is  correctly  given,  but  in  the  other  three 


*See  Appendix,  G. 
tSee  Appendix,  H. 


Clekical  Committkk.  17 

papers,  just  published,  the  old  year  of  "1832",  having  just  ended, 
by  mistake  was  continued  in  the  types. 

It  was  our  privilege  to  have  been  more  or  less  personally  ac- 
quainted with  those  concerned  in  the  organization  of  this  church, 
and  we  will  now  attempt  to  furnish  sketches,  or  notices  of  the 
several  persons  mentioned  in  the  proceedings  of  that  meeting,  a 
half  century  ago,  especially  as  but  one  of  the  entire  original 
membership  is  now  living  here — the  writer's  eldest  brother,  Wm. 
B.  Murray,  and  there  are  only  four  others  who  are  now  living 
elsewhere. 


III.    THE  CLERICAL  COMMITTEE  OF  ORGANIZATION. 

The  Rev.  James  Willi  am  son  was  one  of  the  two  ministers 
appointed  by  the  Presbytery  for  this  purpose.  The  family  of 
which  he  was  a  member  belonged  to  our  valley,  and  lived  near 
Newville.  It  was  a  family  strong  in  all  the  elements  of  a  true 
and  vigorous  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  has  been  honorably 
and  usefully  represented.  It  was  then  more  difficult  to  obtain  a 
a  collegiate  education  than  it  is  now;  and  this  was  particularly  so 
where  the  children  of  a  family  were  many,  and  the  resources 
limited.  In  this  in.stance,  and  it  was  evidence  of  a  strong  will 
and  indomitable  energy,  six  sons  were  liberally  educated:  James, 
Alexander,  McKnight  and  Moses  became  ministers  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church;  William  was  a  linguist  and  literary  character, 
and  for  many  years  in  one  of  the  Government  Departments  at 
Washington;  John  became  an  honorable  member  of  the  Carlisle  bar, 
and  one  of  the  original  members  of  this  church.  Among  the  several 
daughters  is  the  estimable  wife  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Hepburn,  a 
member  and  elder  of  this  church,  whose  eldest  son  is  President  of 
David.son  College,  Mecklenburg  county,  N.C.,  and  one  of  the 
best  educators  in  the  country,  and  a  younger  son  is  a  leading 
member  of  our  bar,  with  one  who  is  both  lawyer  and  physician. 
James,  son  of  David  and  Tamar  (McKnight)  Williamson,  was 
born  near  Newville,  June  11,   1795.     Graduated  at  Washington 


18  Presbyterian  Chukches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

College  ill  1817;  was  matriculated  at  Princeton  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  1818;  and  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  lyUzerne  in 
1821.  During  his  long  life  he  ministered  to  several  churches  in 
different  places.  At  the  time  this  church  was  organized  he  was 
the  beloved  pastor  of  the  then  large  and  strong  church  of  Silver 
Spring,  which  position  he  held  for  fifteen  years — from  1823  to 
1838.  He  was  an  instructive  preacher,  and  faithful  pastor.  De- 
voted to  the  doctrines  of  our  church,  and  of  strong  convictions, 
he  needed  no  special  exhortation  to  contend  earnestly  for  the 
faith,  even  though  he  should  thereby  incur  the  displeasure  of 
those  who  might  not  be  in  sympathy  with  him.  He  died  at 
Lewistown,  Pa.,  March  10th,  1865,  aged  about  seventy  3^ears. 
The  Rev.  Anderson  B.  Quay  was  born  in  Chester  County, 
Pa.,  May  22nd,  1802.  In  early  life  he  was  a  practical  mechanic, 
but  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to  the  ministry.  He  studied 
Theology  at  Princeton  Seminary,  and  was  ordained  by  the  New 
Castle  Presbytery  in  1831.  The  same  year  he  became  the  pastor 
of  the  the  united  charge  of  Monaghan  (Dillsburg)  and  Petersburg, 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Carlisle  Presbytery,  and  so  continued 
until  1839.*  He  was  afterwards  pastor  of  other  churches  in 
western  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  an  agent  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Education,  and  died  at  Beaver,  Pa.,  Sept.  22nd,  1858, 
in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  man  of  respect- 
able abilities,  good  presence,  and  agreeable  delivery;  a  practical 
and  evangelical  preacher;  and  very  greatly  esteemed  by  his  old 
friends  of  Monaghan  and  elsewhere.  His  end  was  peace.  He 
has  but  one  child  living  the  Hon.  M.  S.  Quay,  late  Secretary  of 
our  Common  wealth,. and  named  after  his  father's  generous  friend. 
Gen.  Matthew  Stanley  of  Chester  county. 


*The  writer  was  his  successor  in  the  same  charge  from  1841  to  1858. 
Among  the  Theological  classmates  of  Mr.  Quay  were  his  co-Presbyters,  the 
Rev.  John  Dickey,  of  Bloomfield,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  C.  Watson,  of  Gettys- 
burg, also  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  T.  Sprole,  of  the  1st  Presbyterian  Church, 
Carlisle,  as  well  as  the  Rev.  James  Knox,  born  in  Carlisle,  and  the  Rev. 
David  Sterrett  who  spent  his  last  years  in  Carlisle. 


IV.     THE  ORIGINAL  RUUNG  ELDERS. 

Though  the  first  named  in  the  reported  proceedings  is  An- 
drew Blair,  yet  he  was  the  youngest  of  the  three.  Mr.  Clark 
was  the  oldest,  born  in  1774,  and  Mr.  McClure  was  born  in  1784, 
and  was  the  first  one  who  died. 

Andrew  Blair  was  born  at  Carlisle,  April  10th,  1789,  and 
here  died  July  21st,  1861,  in  his  seventy-third  year.  His  grand- 
father William  Blair  came  to  Carlisle  from  Lancaster,  where  he 
had  married  Mary  Cowen;  and  his  father  came  from  Ireland  with  a 
wife  and  two  children.  William,  the  third  child,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia.  He  was  a  'cordwainer'  by  trade,  resided  on  East 
Main  street,  and  was  the  owner  of  some  'outlots'.  He  has  been 
described  as  "a  flaming  whig  of  1776."*  He  was  a  trustee  of 
the  Carlisle  Academy  in  1781,  and  was  one  of  three  trustees  of 
the  Associated  Presbyterian  Church  who  bought  of  the  Penns,  in 
1796,  the  lot  on  South  West  street  on  which  the  stone  building 
was  erected,  still  standing,  long  know  as  the  '*Seceder"  church. 
His  name  occurs  as  William  Blair,  Senior,  on  the  records  of  the 
Union  Fire  Company,  of  which  Dr.  Davidson  was  president,  and 
that  of  his  son  as  William  Blair,  Junior.  He  died  in  Carlisle  in 
1802  aged  73  years,  and  is  buried  in  the  Old  Grave  Yard.  His 
son  W^illiam  Blair,  the  father  of  Andrew  Blair,  married  in  1763, 
Sarah  Holmes,  daughter  of  Andrew  Holmes,  who  lived  near  Car- 
lisle. He  died  in  1792,  aged  32  years,  leaving  four  children. 
Andrew  states  that  he  had  always  understood  that  his  "father 
was  a  man  of  unblemished  character  and  much  respected,  but 
died  in  possession  of  little  of  this  world's  goods."  The  two  older 
children  were  Jane,  who  married  John  McClure  and  lived  near 
Carlisle,    and    William,    a    printer   of    Philadelphia,   a    cultured 


*It  is  a  tradition  in  the  family,  that,  it  having  come  to  his  cans  that  some 
one  had  intimated  that  he  might  not  be  a  Whig,  he  took  the  most  direct 
method  of  that  day  to  make  public  and  emphatic  contradiction,  by  going  to 
the  Court  House  on  Saturday  evening,  taking  his  stand  upon  the  steps,  hat 
in  hand,  and  awaiting  an  audience,  sure  soon  to  gather  in  response  to  such 
a  notification  that  an  important  statement  was  to  be  made.  He  then  simply 
said,  with  very  decided  brogue:  "If  ony  mon  says  Wully  Blair  is  not  a 
Whog  he's  a  liar,"  replaced  his  hat  and  went  his  way. 

19 


20  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

gentleman,  who  after  retirement  from  business  resided  in  Carlisle 
until  his  decease  in  1861.     They  were  placed  under  the  care  of 
their  grandfather  in  Carlisle,  and  Andrew,  then  only  three  years 
old,  and  his  younger  brother,   Henry  Cowen,   lived  with  their 
mother  at  the  home  of  her  father,   Andrew  Holmes,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Carlisle.     He  always  spoke  of  his  mother  with  the 
warmest  affection  as  "one  of  the  very  best  and  one  of  the  kindest 
of  mothers,"  "whose  early  care  and  proper  training  no  one  can 
estimate."     At  nine  years  of  age  he  tramped  the  two  miles,  to 
and  from  Carlisle,  each  day  in  attendance  at  school,  thus  getting 
three  months  schooling  each  year,    until   twelve   years  old.     At 
thirteen  he  was  put  to  the  plough  and  other   farm  work,  until, 
at  fifteen,  he  was   apprenticed   to    Robert    Irvine  of   Carlisle  to 
learn  the  tanning  and  currying  trade.     At  the  completion  of  his 
five  years  of  apprenticship  he  made  a  trip  to  Philadelphia  and 
back  by  way  of  Reading,  for   work    and    improvement,  without 
success,  the  condition  of  the  country  being  unfavorable;  and  on 
his  return  to  Carlisle  he  took  to  "cutting  wood  by  the  cord  and 
threshing  rye  by  the  bushel."     He  soon  received  employment  at 
currying  and  tanning  from  Joseph  Hays  of  Carlisle;  then  took 
the  management  of  the  yard,   and  the  year  after,    when  he  be- 
came 21,  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  him  for  threee  years, 
and  subsequently  succeeded  him  in  business  by  the  purchase  of 
the  property  at  the   northwest   corner  of    Hanover   and   South 
streets.   This  was  deemed  quite  a  bold  financial  venture  for  him  by 
many  of  his  friends  at  the  time,  but,  with  the  confidence  already 
established  in  his  business  ability  as  well  as  integrity,  he  had  no 
difficulty  in  obtaining  money  for  his  business  on  most  favorable 
terms.     In  the  meantime,  March  31,  1812,  he  had  assumed,  what 
he  regarded  as  a  great  additional  responsibility,  by  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Hays,  the  daughter  of  his  partner.     Dr.  Davidson  per- 
formed the  ceremony.     When  the  call  was  made  for  troops  for 
the  defence  of  Philadelphia,   he  marched  promptly  with  Capt. 
Halbert's  Company  to  that  city,  leaving  his  wife  and  small  in- 
fant, but,  as  he  states,  with  her  full  consent.     The  company  was 
kept  in  service  only  six  weeks.     He  joined  the  First  Presbyterian 


Original  Ruling  Elders.  21 

Church  July  20th,  1817,  where  he  was  ordained  Deacon  Jan.  12, 
1820,  and  was  ordained  Ruling  Elder  in  the  same  Dec.  25th, 
1825.  He  also  most  faithfully  filled  the  same  office  in  the  new 
church  from  its  origin  to  his  decease,  and  throughout  this  time 
had  taken  a  very  leading  part  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
the  organization.  He  was  so  fully  identified  with  it  as  to  be  ap- 
parently almost  a  necessary  part  of  it.  In  conducting  the  prayer- 
meeting,  managing  the  Sabbath  School,  instructing  the  young, 
directing  anxious  inquirers,  visiting  the  sick  and  bereaved,  Mr. 
Blair  was  always  prompt  and  welcome.  Ever  anxious  to  have 
the  public  services  of  the  sanctuarj^  regularly  observed,  he  would 
himself, — on  such  vSabbaths  as  the  pulpit  happened  to  be  vacant 
and  without  a  supply — read  a  carefully  selected  sermon  of  some 
approved  divine,  and,  being  an  excellent  reader,  and  having- 
previously  placed  himself  in  familiar  sympathy  with  the  sermon, 
this  service  was  alike  enjoyable  and  profitable.  Few  laymen 
were  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  distinctive  doctrines  of 
our  church  than  Mr.  Blair.  He  was  a  very  diligent  business 
man — for  his  own  family,  and  the  church,  and  the  public — yet 
he  had  a  taste  for  reading  and  reflection,  and  fully  gratified  it. 
In  addition  to  Scott's  Commentary,  and  .some  works  of  the  older 
divines,  Dick's  Theology,  Symington  on  the  Atonement,  Steven- 
son's Offices  of  Christ,  Harbaugh's  works,  Spurgeon's  sermons, 
Alexander's  works, Hodge's  writings, Spencer's  Pastor's  Sketches, 
were  among  his  books,  and  a  sample  of  their  general  character; 
and  when  he  was  particularly  pleased  with  a  book,  he  would  se- 
cure a  cop3'  for  some  of  his  children.  He  found  time  to  read 
and  to  think,  and  then  to  talk  about  that  which  he  had  read. 
Often,  however,  he  expressed  his  regret  to  the  writer  that  he 
had  not  had  the  advantages  of  a  proper  education,  or  a  mind 
suitably  disciplined  in  early  life;  but,  not  having  had  such  early 
training,  he  did  the  best  he  could  in  subsequent  life,  and  did  it 
admirabl}'  well.  But,  however  grave  and  solid  may  have  been 
the  usual  character  of  his  reading,  he  nevertheless,  fully  enjoyed 
at  times  what  was  light  and  entertaining,  and  could  narrate  or 
listen  to  something  that  was  amusing  with  evident   enjoyment. 


22  Preseytkrian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

In  all  his  habits  and  engagements  he  was  particularly  systematic 
and  prompt,  and,  though  busily  and  vigorously  employed,  did 
not  permit  one  dut}^  to  encroach  upon  the  domain  of  another. 
His  chief  pleasure  consisted  in  the  best  discharge  of  conscious 
duty,  and  he  did  not  understand  how  persons  could  seek  pleasure 
merely  for  the  sake  of  pleasure,  and  yet  it  was  his  obvious  hap- 
piness to  promote  the  rational  and  innocent  happiness  of  others. 
Moreover,  few  laymen  were  better  acquainted  with  the  Govern- 
ment, and  Discipline,  and  Order  of  Worship  of  our  church,  than 
Mr.  Blair.  He  was  a  capital  ecclesiastical  lawj'er,  and  was  a  no 
less  earnest  expounder  and  defender  of  the  coUvStitution  of  our 
church,  in  whose  judicatories  he  was  highly  respected,  and  had 
his  appreciated  influence.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  judgment 
and  great  energy;  fertile  in  devising  or  planning,  and  just  as  firm 
and  prompt  in  executing.  Hence  he  was  well  qualified  to  advise 
or  act  in  emergencies,  and  was  often  consulted  in  seasons  of 
trouble  or  difficulty.  His  experience  and  his  ability  were  ever 
ready  at  his  command  to  be  used  in  the  best  way.  He  was  equal 
to  opportunities,  emergencies,  and  contingencies. 

Prominently  and  earnestly  identified  with  the  cause  of  pub- 
lic education  in  our  community,  as  an  advocate  of  the  Public 
School  system,  and  for  the  first  twenty-five  years  president  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  he  did  not  neglect  any  portion  of  our 
youth,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  establishing  and  encourag- 
ing the  school  for  colored  children,  who  had  been  measurably 
overlooked  previously,  and  which  was  afterwards  so  long  under 
the  wise  and  faitnful  management  of  Miss  Sarah  Bell, — and  let 
this,  as  fully  and  trul)'  deser\'ed,  be  "told  for  a  memorial  of  her." 
He  also  repeatedly  and  gratuitously  furnished  the  children  of 
her  school  with  copies  of  that  inimitable  and  honored  compend  of 
Bible  truth,  the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the  the  Westminster  As- 
sembly of  Divines,  which  was  eagerly  and  thoroughly  memorized. 
As  an  evidence  of  their  grateful  appreciation  of  his  services  in 
their  behalf,  he  was  agreeably  surprised  in  receiving  from  the 
school,  bearing  a  suitably  engrossed  certificate  of  presentation,  a 


Original  Ruling  Eldjcrs.  23 

handsome  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  in  large  tj-pe,  with  the 
Book  of  Psahns  annexed.  There  were  few  famihes,  or  young 
persons  in  the  town  that  he  did  not  know.  He  had  generally  a 
kind  word  of  recognition  or  counsel  when  passing  a  boy  or  girl, 
white  or  black,  and  was  treated  with  proper  respect  and  consider- 
ation in  return.  Physically  he  was  a  large  and  stout  man,  very 
tall,  perfectly  erect,  and  admirably  proportioned,  with  a  massive 
and  well-formed  head,  and  a  countenance  that  bore  the  impress 
of  great  benignity  and  firmness.  During  a  painful  and  protracted 
illness  preceding  his  death  he  received  many  expressions  of 
human  sympathy,  both  verbal  and  written,  and  he  also  realized 
in  his  experience  the  priceless  preciousness  of  Divine  grace. 

Two  of  his  sons  became  Ruling  Elders,  here  and  in  Phila- 
delphia; his  son  Henry  C.  Blair  becoming  the  most  eflEicient 
founder  of  the  Princeton  Presbyterian  Church  of  West  Phila- 
delphia, in  which  after  his  death  a  marble  tablet  was  erected  to 
commemorate  his  appreciated  services  and  memory.  The  dutiful 
and  devoted  only  daughter  of  Mr.  Blair  became  the  wife  of  a 
Presbyterian  minister. 

John  McChire,  the  second  Ruling  Elder  of  this  church,  was 
the  son  of  Charles  McClure  by  his  second  marriage — whose  sister 
Mary  became  the  second  wife  of  Mr.  Joseph  Knox.  He  was 
born  near  Carlisle,  April  17,  1784,  at  the  Willow  Grove  farm,  a 
portion  of  which  afterward  became  his  pleasant  home.  He  grad- 
uated at  Dickinson  College  in  1802,  and  in  that  institution  he 
was  a  tutor  in  1810.  After  his  graduation  he  became  a  Divinity 
student;  but  in  consequence  of  impaired  health,  and  particularly 
a  weak  voice,  he  was  constrained  to  abandon  his  prospective 
work.  In  September,  1806,  he  joined  the  Old  Stone  Church 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Davidson,  and  he  was  ordained 
a  Ruling  Elder  in  that  church  Dec.  25th,  1825,  during  the  pastor- 
ate of  Mr.  Duffield,  which  office  he  very  acceptably  filled  until 
his  admission  to  the  new  organization.  Eminently  domestic  and 
retiring,  he  spent  his  life  generally  in  the  midst  of  the  duties,  and 
enjoyment  of  his  quiet  and  happy   home  on  the  Letort,  in  the 


24  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

training  and  education  of  his  children,  and  in  the  superv^ision  of 
his  agricultural  interests,  but  he  never  forgot  or  neglected  the 
claims  of  the  church.  Though  physically  a  delicate  man,  he  had  a 
strong  and  well  cultivated  mind  and  a  firm  and  decided  will. 
He  was  an  intelligent  Christian  gentleman,  and  a  well  read  theo- 
logian. The  Greek  testament  was  his  valued  and  almost  con- 
stant companion;  and  among  his  works  were  the  massive  and 
solid  Institutes  of  Turretin  in  Latin,  and  other  old  books  of  like 
character.  He  was  a  pronounced  Presbyterian,  and  was  a  faith- 
ful office-bearer  in  the  new  church,  which  he  truh'  loved.  Pie 
departed  this  life  peacefully  and  hopefully,  March  20,  1841, 
aged  57  years.  Pie  had  married  Jane  Blair,  sister  of  Elder  Blair. 
One  son  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in  1845,  but  whilst  pur- 
suing a  course  of  medical  study  died  at  the  age  of  21.  The  three 
daughters,  formerly  members  of  this  church,  are  now  members  of 
our  church  in  other  places. 

Robert  Clark  was  born  July  2nd,  1774.  He  was  a  son  of 
Wm.  and  Margaret  Clark — the  former  dying  March  29th,  1804, 
aged  sixty-four  years,  and  the  latter  dying  Sept.  9th,  1821,  aged 
eighty-one  years,  and  both  were  buried  in  our  town  graveyard. 
William  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  1740.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Revolution  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Associa- 
tors,  and  became  Colonel  of  one  of  the  Cumberland  batallions. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  of  July  16,  1776,  and  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  1776  and  1777.  He  died  at  his  residence 
in  Middleton  township. 

Robert  Clark  was  ten  years  older  than  Mr.  Blair,  and  the 
second  one  of  the  three  who  died.  He  too  was  connected  with 
several  of  the  old  families  of  our  valley,  and  his  kindred  belonged 
to  the  old  church,  in  which  he  had  been  ordained  an  elder,  Oct. 
6th,  1814.  His  large  frame  and  venerable  appearance,  and  ex- 
pressive countenance  and  deep  toned  voice  we  well  remember. 
Elder  Clark  was  a  careful  and  thrifty  farmer  and  lived  a  few 
miles  north  of  Carlisle,  where  he  died  Jan.  7th,  1856.  His  first 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  Oct.  6th,  1806,  was  Nancy  Gregg, 


The  Fikst  Four  Deacons.  25 

widow  of  Charles  Gregg,  and  daughter  of  WilHam  and  Mary 
(Parker)  Fleming,  who  died  March  l7th,  1823;  and  his  second 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  April  22,  1824,  was  Margaret 
Smiley  of  Sherman's  Valley.  Of  his  sons  Robert  was  a  Ruling 
Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carrollton,  111.,  where  he 
died  in  1869.  William  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Mon- 
mouth, 111.,  where  he  died  Aug.  23,  1888  in  his  81st  year.  A 
younger  son,  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  who  joined  this  church  in  1843, 
graduated  at  Marshall  College,  studied  theology  at  Alleghenj^, 
was  a  scholarly  preacher  and  died  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Chambersburg  in  1865.  James  Clark,  another  son  was 
ordained  a  Ruling  Elder  in  this  church  in  1861,  but  is  now  a 
resident  of  Harrisburg. 


V.     THE  FIRST  FOUR  DEACONS. 

Peter  B.  Smith  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  but  spent  a  large 
portion  of  his  useful  life  among  us.  He  was  a  skilled  mechanic, 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  also  a  merchant,  and  very  estimable 
citizen  of  our  Borough.  In  1851  he  moved  to  Ivafayette,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  became  an  honored  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  where  he  died  June  21st,  1859,  in  the  68th  year  of 
his  age.  In  a  notice  of  him  published  at  Lafayette  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  we  have  this  testimony:  '  'In  the  death  of  Peter  B. 
Smith,  Esq. ,  our  community  has  lost  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments 
and  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  was  a  Ruling  Elder, 
one  its  most  valuable  and  esteemed  members."  He  had  been  or- 
dained a  deacon  in  the  other  church,  Jan.  20th,  1820.  He  was 
also  there,  as  afterwards  in  the  Second  Church,  cordially  engaged 
in  the  Sabbath  vSchool  work;  and  as  early  as  1823  an  address  to 
the  friends  of  that  cause  appeared  in  the  Religions  Miscellany, 
(then  published  in  this  place),  prepared  by  a  committee  composed 
of  "Peter  B.  vSmith,  John  Holmes  Agnew,  Daniel  McKinley;" 
and  in  the  editorial  preface  to  this  address  we  are  informed  that 
the  school  had  been  "in  operation  since  1816."     The  last  person 


26  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

named  in  this  committee  became  the  first  pastor  of  the  Second 
Church.  In  the  charter  of  the  church,  April  8th,  1833,  occur  the 
namesof  fifteen  trustees, and  the  first  given  is  that  of  Peter  B.Smith. 
We  remember  'Squire  Smith  as  an  intelligent  man,  churchly  in  his 
feelings,  warmly  attached  to  the  Sabbath  School  and  prayer-meet- 
ings, and  as  particularly  gifted  in  public  prayer.  He  was  married 
twice;  first  to  Miss  Violetta  Jackson,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  one  of  whom  died  in  childhood,  and  then  to  Miss 
Mary  Scoby,  Aug.  9th,  1827,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and 
three  daughters.  The  eldest  son,  by  the  first  marriage,  joined 
this  church  in  1834,  was  a  member  of  the  Carlisle  Bar,  and  died 
here  in  May  of  1870.  The  Rev.  Henry  M.  Smith,  D.D.,  of  New 
Orleans, — who  was  Moderator  of  the  Southern  General  Assembly 
in  1873,  who  has  also  been  for  years  the  able  editor  of  the  South- 
western Presbythrian,  and  who  lately  completed  the  25th  year 
of  a  successful  pastorate  in  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  the 
Crescent  City, — is  the  eldest  son  of  Squire  Smith  by  his  second 
marriage,  and  joined  this  church  in  November,  1843. 

Robert  Irvine  spent  a  long  and  useful  life  in  our  community. 
The  family  home  was  in  the  rear  of  the  Spring,  at  the  northeast 
intersection  of  East  and  Main  streets,  where  he  was  a  successful 
business  man — a  tanner,  currier,  and  farmer.  His  father  James 
Irvine,  one  of  Dr.  Davidson's  right-hand  men,  was  a  farmer, 
whose  plantation  was  a  few  miles  below  Carlisle,  whither  he 
went  at  an  early  day  with  his  bride^nee  Sarah  Harris,  of  Pax- 
ton,  to  whom  he  was  married  by  Parson  Elder — escorted  by  fifty 
couple  of  friends  on  horseback;  and  where  after  raising  nine 
children,  he  died  May  5th,  1811,  in  his  85tli  year,  and  was  buried 
at  the  Silver  Spring  Church  graveyard.  He  had  been  one  of  Dr. 
Davidson's  elders  in  the  First  Church;  and  his  son  John,  was  also 
an  elder  there  in  Mr.  Duffield's  ministry.  His  son  James  was  a 
physician  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  Col.  Wm.  Irvine,  another  son, 
was  for  years  the  treasurer  of  the  other  church,  and  the  first 
treasurer  of  this  church.  Mr.  Robert  Irvine  had  been  ordained 
a  deacon  in  the  other  church,   Jan.   4th,    1829,   which  office  he 


The  First  Four  Deacons.  27 

there  faithfully  filled,  and  in  the  same  capacity  and  manner  he 
served  in  the  new  church.  He  was  born  Sept.  21st,  1781,  and 
died  Aug.  22nd,  1864.  He  had  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of 
Ross  Mitchell;  and  Dr.  James  Ross  Irvine — a  graduate  of  Dick- 
inson College  in  1830,  ordained  deacon  of  this  church  Sept.  25th, 
1864,  died  July  1869 — was  his  oldest  son.  His  youngest  and 
only  surviving  son  Mr.  John  Irvine  is  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the 
other  church. 

Robert  Giffin — son  of  James  and  Martha  Giffin  of  the  old 
church — was  a  good  citizen  and  farmer  of  North  Middleton  Town- 
ship, where  he  was  born  Aug.  29th,  1797;  he  married  Jane 
Holmes,  and  was  related  to  the  Elliotts,  Clarks,  Lambertons,  etc. 
He  had  been  ordained  deacon  in  the  other  church  Jan.  4th,  1829, 
and  served  as  such  in  the  new  organization.  In  1855,  he,  with 
his  wife  and  son  James — who  had  joined  this  church  in  Novem- 
ber 1853 — was  dismissed  to  Cedar  Grove  Presbyterian  Church, 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.  He  died  in  Camden  County,  New  Jersey, 
Feb.  29th,  1872. 

John  Procto?-,  born  in  Adams  County,  Pa.,  spent  most  of 
his  life  in  Carlisle.  For  many  years  he  had  been  an  excellent 
mechanic  and  good  citizen,  greatly  respected  in  the  church  and 
in  the  community.  He,  too,  had  been  ordained  a  deacon  in  the 
other  church,  Jan.  4th,  1829,  and  served  as  such  with  acceptance 
in  the  new  church.  In  December  of  1835  he  was  elected,  and  in 
February  following  he  was  ordained  a  Ruling  Elder  in  this 
church,  and  this  office  he  faithfully  filled  until  his  death.  He 
was  born  Aug.  10th,  1781,  and  died  Jan.  10th,  1847.  His  eldest 
son — John  Officer  Proctor,  then  a  member  of  this  church — 
graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in  1839,  afterwards  studied  theo- 
logy at  Princeton,  and  has  since  been  the  faithful  pastor  of  sev- 
eral Presbyterian  churches;  and  one  of  Mr.  Proctor's  daughters 
is  the  wife  of  a  Presbyterian  minister,  the  Rev.  Thomas  K. 
Davis,  of  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  formerly  a  worthy  minister  of  the 
Carlisle  Presbytery — married  by  the  writer  Aug.  14th,  1851. 


VI.     OTHERS  MENTIONED  IN  THE  ORGANIZATION. 

The  following  brief  sketches  in  the  order  in  which  the  names 
occur,  comprise  the  others  mentioned  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
meeting  for  organization. 

George  A.  Lyon,  born  in  Carlisle,  spent  his  long  and  useful 
life  here,  and  here  died — "after  quite  a  protracted  illness,  borne 
in  Christian  patience  and  hope."*  He  lineally  belonged  to  an  old 
family  that  was  honorably  connected  with  the  Public  Service  of 
our  country,  and  was  related  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duffield.  His  father, 
William  Lyon,  was  born  at  Inniskillen,  in  the  north  of  Ireland, 
March  l7th,  1729,  and  came  to  this  country  about  1748  with  his 
uncle  Col.  Jno.  Armstrong.  With  Col.  Armstrong  he  was  em- 
ployed in  laying  out  the  town  of  Carlisle,  and  surveying  the  land; 
and  this  place  was  his  home  until  his  decease,  Feb.  7th,  1809,  in 
his  80th  year.  He  was  the  first  Clerk  of  our  Courts,  and  the 
first  Register  and  Prothonotary  of  our  county.  Frequently  his 
name  appears  in  the  Colonial  Records  and  the  Pennsylvania 
Archives,  as  a  leading  and  trusted  citizen  of  our  valley.  He  had 
also  been  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the  old  Presbyterian  church  until  his 
death.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  his  uncle,  Col.  Arm- 
strong, by  whom  he  had  one  son.  After  her  death,  he  married, 
in  1768,  Ann,  eldest  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Parker) 
Fleming,  by  whom  he  had  fourteen  children,  five  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  (His  father-in-law  Fleming  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  marr3^  His  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Major  Alexander  Parker. )  His  eldest  child,  Margaret,  became 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  David  Denny,  for  many  years  the  pastor  of 
the  Falling  Spring  Presbyterian  church  at  Chambersburg:  John 
became  a  lawyer,  married  Priscilla  Coulter,  and  settled  in  Union- 
town,  Pa.  Samuel  was  the  father  of  the  late  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon, 
of  Erie,  Pa.  Alice  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Hon.  George 
Chambers,  of  Chambersburg,  and  George  Armstrong  Lyon,  the 
youngest  child,  born  here,  April  11th,  1784,  died  here  Jan.  6th, 
1855.     Gen.  John  Armstrong,  his  grand  uncle,  had  his  home  at 


*This  quotation  is  made  from  the  church  Register,  where  it  appears  in 
the  well-known  handwriting  of  Mr.  Lyon's  old  friend,  Elder  Andrew  Blair. 

28 


Others  in  the  Organization.  29 

the  northwestern  corner  of  Main  and  Bedford  streets,  and  the 
nephew,  William  L5'on  had  his  home  on  the  adjoining  lot.  Here 
Geo.  A.  Lyon  was  born  and — after  raising  a  large  family  and 
living  to  be  an  old  man — he  died  in  the  same  house  in  which  he 
had  been  born,  this  was  also  true  of  his  cousin,  and  neighbor, 
Dr.  James  Armstrong,  who  died  in  Carlisle  in  1828,  in  his  81st 
year;  and  it  was  then  mentioned  as  singularly  remarkable  that, 
in  this  country,  a  man  of  his  age  should  have  died  in  the  same 
house  and  room  in  which  he  had  been  born. 

William  Lyon's  father,  John  Lyon,  and  his  wife — nee  Mar- 
garet Armstrong — with  several  children,  came  from  Ireland  to 
America  in  1763,  after  his  son  William  had  immigrated,  and 
settled  in  Tuscarora  Valley,  then  a  part  of  Cumberland  County. 
His  son  Samuel  thence  moved  to  Carlisle,  and  here  occupied 
several  official  positions,  as  Register  and  Recorder,  Commissioner 
of  Purchase  (for  the  army)  in  Cumberland  county,  etc.  He  mar- 
ried Ellen  Blaine,  of  Carlisle,  sister  of  Col.  Ephraim  Blaine,  by 
whom  he  had  several  children.  His  daughter  Margaret,  married 
her  first  cousin,  James  Blaine,  son  of  Col.  Ephraim  Blaine.  The 
first  of  their  children,  Ephraim,  married  Maria  Gillespie,  a 
daughter  of  Neill  Gillespie,  Jr.,  who  lived  near  Brownsville, 
Fa5'ette  County,  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — Hon.  James 
G.  Blaine  and  a  daughter  Mary,  who  married  Mr.  Walker. 

John  Lyon,  who  was  Clerk  of  the  Quarter  Sessions  for  Cum- 
berland county,  in  1794,  was  a  nephew  of  William  and  Samuel 
Lyon;  he  married  Miss  Jane  Maclay,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
William  Maclay,  (who  was  the  first  U.  S  Senator  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  whose  wife  had  been  Mary  (McClure)  Harris,  daugh- 
ter of  Jno.  Harris,  founder  of  Harrisburg),  and  their  son  William 
Maclay  Lyon,  was  afterward  the  head  of  the  well-known  house 
of  Lyon,  Shorb  &  Co.,  Pittsburg. 

We  have  been  thus  full  and  specific  relative  to  the  Lyon 
family,  because  if  any  one  man  took  a  more  earnest  and  active 
part  than  another  in  the  separation,  and  formation  of  the  Second 
Church  it  was  Mr.  Geo.  A.  Lyon.  He  was  highly  esteemed  and 
honored  in  our  communit3^    A  man  of  decided  and  positive  char- 


30  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

acter,  irreproachable  in  public  or  private  life;  of  firm  principles 
and  strong  will;  of  tireless  energy  and  acknowledged  influence; 
of  cultivated  mind  and  heart;  of  nervous  temperament  and 
active  movement;  having  a  finel}^  moulded  face,  and  a  head 
covered  with  an  ample  suit  of  black  hair,  that  greyed  slowly  as 
he  advanced  in  5^ears,  and  that  curled  naturally,  and  when  un- 
shorn hung  in  ringlets  on  his  neck  and  shoulders;  and  neither 
the  expressiveness  nor  attractiveness  of  his  eyes  was  obscured  by 
the  use  of  glasses.  We  remember  him  well.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Carlisle  Bar;  the  trusted  and  faithful  President  of  the  old 
Carlisle  Bank;  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Dickinson 
College,  from  1815  to  1833,  and  their  secretary;  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  other  church,  at  the  time  of  the  separa- 
tion, and  first  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  new 
church;  in  1839  he  was  elected  a  Ruling  Elder  in  this  church, 
but  declined  the  honor,  but  continued  fully  identified  with  the 
steady  growth  of  the  church  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
The  monument  at  his  grave — in  addition  to  the  statements,  "He 
trusted  in  Jesus,"  and  "His  children  rise  up  and  bless  him" — 
bears  this  no  less  truthful  and  beautiful  inscription: 

Vi'r  recti  tenax 

et 

Fide  incorrtcpttis. 

All  his  children  became  consistent  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  His  two  eldest  sons  graduated  at  Dickiuson  Col- 
lege in  1839,  afterward  studied  theology  at  Princeton,  and  be- 
came ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  our  church.  The  eldest  died  at 
Richmond,  Va.,  June  1862,  the  other  has  been  for  many  years  a 
scholarlj'  educator  in  our  state.  The  youngest,  Thomas  Lyttle- 
ton  lyyon,  born  here  April  29th,  1832,  was  the  first  child  bap- 
tized in  the  new  church,  Jan.  13,  1833,  then  worshipping  in  the 
County  Hall.  In  1852  he  became  a  member  of  this  church  by 
profession  of  faith.  In  the  same  year  he  graduated  from  Dick- 
inson College.  For  years  he  has  been  an  honorable  business  man 
and  a  very  estimable  citizen  of  New  Orleans;   also  an  efficient 


Others  in  the  Okganization.  31 

Trustee,  a  devoted  Sabbath  school  superhitendent,  and  a  most 
vahiable  member  of  the  first  Presbyterian  church  there.* 

The  life  of  Charles  Bingham  Penrose  is  largely  associated 
with  the  Bar  of  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  with  the  legislative  and 
political  history  of  our  Commonwealth.  He  was  born  near  Phil- 
adelphia Oct.  6th,  1798;  admitted  to  our  Bar  in  1821;  married  by 
Rev.  Dr.  James  P.  Wilson,  March  16,  1824,  to  Miss  Valeria  F. 
Biddle,  daughter  of  Wm.  M.  Biddle,  Esq.  of  Philadelphia;  was 
elected  three  times  to  the  State  senate;  under  President  Harrison 
and  his  successor  was  Solicitor  of  the  Treasury;  and  died  suddenly 
at  Harrisburg,  April  6th,  1857.  Though  finally  a  resident  of 
Philadelphia,  he  spent  many  years  of  his  active  career  among  us. 
He  was  not  a  communicant  of  this  church  at  its  commencement, 
but  joined  on  examination  Feb  1838.  He  was  a  Christian  gentle- 
man, very  genial  and  affable  in  his  bearing.  His  face  was  at- 
tractive, and  his  uncovered  head  no  less  so — the  crown  was  slight- 
ly bald,  and  this  was  regularly  encircled  with  a  corona  of  light 
hair,  bushy,  and  inclined  to  curl,  and  he  had  a  very  agreeable 
expression  of  countenance  a  man  alike  popular  and  influential. 
His  eldest  son  graduated  at  Dickinson  College,  (of  which  his 
father  had  been  a  Trustee)  in  1844,  and  was  until  his  death  a 
member  of  the  the  Carlisle  Bar.  A  man  eminently  kind  and 
generous  and  sjanpathetic.  Another  son — who  joined  this  church 
in  1843 — graduated  at  the  same  college  in  1846,  and  now  stands 
high  as  a  medical  professor  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania; 
and  another  is  the  able  Associate  Judge  of  the  Orphans'  Court  of 
Philadelphia. 

John  Stiiatt,  son  of  Hugh  and  Ruth  Stuart,  was  born  in 
South  Middleton  township  Oct.  26,  1794,  and  died  there  March 
28,  1870.  He  was  an  energetic  and  successful  business  man;  a 
miller,  farmer  and  honored  citizen,  and  for  many  years  a  member 
and  trustee  of  this  church.  He  was  the  father  of  a  large  family, 
all  of  whom  became  members  of  this  church.  He  filled  the  office 
of  Associate  Judge  of  our  county  from   1835  to  1857,  and  after- 


*He  died  March  29,  1S83. 


32  Presbyterian  Churches,  Cart^isle,  Pa. 

ward  his  eldest  son,  also  a  member  of  this  church,  was  elected  to 
the  same  position.  PI  is  only  surviving  son  is  a  Ruling  Elder  in 
this  church. 

James  Hamilton.  Few  men  were  so  fully  and  disinterestedly 
associated  with  the  welfare.of  this  church  and  the  community  as 
a  great-grandchild  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Thomson,  the  first  pastor 
of  the  Meeting  House  Springs  congregation — and  the  only  son 
of  Judge  James  Hamilton  and  Sarah  (Thomson)  his  wife,  who 
resided  near  the  northeastern  corner  of  Main  and  Pitt  streets. 
He  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Oct.  16th,  1793,  and  died  here  Jan.  23, 
1872.  In  1812  he  graduated  at  Dickinson  College,  of  which  his 
father  had  been  a  trustee;  and  became  a  member  of  our  Bar  in 
1816,  but,  having  ample  means,  he  relinquished  the  practice  of 
law.  He  never  married.  He  was  a  man  of  high  and  varied 
culture,  wrote  much,  and  published  several  tracts  and  small 
books,  including  "Notes  on  Prophecy,"  published  anonymously 
in  1859.  and  "The  Two  Pilgrims"  which  appeared  in  1871.  He 
labored  persistently  in  the  cause  of  education;  was  for  many  years 
a  faithful  trustee  of  Dickinson  College;  and  from  1836  until  his 
death  a  most  efficient  Public  School  Director,  and  first  Secretary 
of  the  Board.  In  1835  he  was  elected  a  Ruling  Elder  in  this 
church,  but  modestly  declined;  and  though  subsequently  elected, 
in  1856,  was  still  unwilling  to  act  as  such.  For  a  long  period 
he  was  the  devoted  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  School.  He 
was  very  generous,  contributing  largely  to  the  church  and  its 
various  boards,  and  was  a  friend  and  helper  of  the  poor.  Some- 
what eccentric,  he  was  eminently  good,  and  modest,  and  useful. 
In  addition  to  valuable  property  left  to  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  there  were  numerous  bequests  to  various  benev^olent  ob- 
jects. 

Who  that  knew  Alexander  C.  Grego  does  not  remember 
his  genial  countenance  and  waim  heart  and  friendl}'  grasp  of  the 
hand  ?  He  was  the  son  of  Charles  and  Nancy  (Fleming)  Gregg, 
born  Sept.  8,  1796.  He  was  one  of  our  honest  and  honorable 
farmers;  was  elected   Ruling  Elder  in   1835,   but  declined,    but 


Others  in  the  Organization.  33 

.  again  elected  in  1839,  he  consented  to  act.  He  removed  to 
Monmouth,  IlHnois  in  1846,  and  in  the  following  year  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  there,  and  was  elected  a  Ruling 
Elder.  (At  the  same  time  Hiram  Norcross— father  of  the  Pastor 
of  this  church — was  elected  to  the  same  office).  He  died  Nov. 
7th,  1879. 

Crawford  Foster  was  a  native  of  Carlisle.  His  father, 
Thomas  Foster,  came  from  Enniskillen,  Fermanagh  County 
Ireland,  landing  in  Philadelphia,  Aug.  1st,  1773,  after  a  passage 
of  over  seven  weeks.  He  came  to  Carlisle,  where  he  married 
Rebecca  Crawford  of  Mount  Rock.  His  son,  Crawford,  was  born 
July  15th,  1787.  His  brother  Alfred  was  a  graduate  of  Dickin- 
son College  in  1809,  in  the  same  class  with  President  Buchanan, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  skillful  physicians  of  Carlisle.  One 
sister  was  married  to  Mr.  Geo.  Lee,  of  Cumberland  county,  and 
another  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Brady,  of  Sherman's  Valley, 
father  of  Rev.  Ernest  A.  Brady,  Sobieski  Brady,  etc.  The 
father,  Thomas  Foster,  owned  the  property  on  the  public  square 
now  occupied  by  the  Carlisle  Bank,  and  built  the  three-storied 
brick  building  adjoining.  He  also  owned  the  notable  house  ad- 
joining, built  by  Adam  Hoops,  the  model  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  as  specified  in  the  contract  for  its  erection*  In  it 
he  kept  the  principal  hotel  of  the  town  for  16  years,  at  which, 
'Federal  Inn,"  according  to  Kline's  Gazette,  "the  British  Min- 
ister, Mr.  Erskine  and  suite,  stopped,"  May,  1808.  He  was  also 
associated  in  the  government  of  Carlisle.  After  his  wife's  death, 
in  1812,  he  engaged  in  mrcantile  business  at  the  southwest  corner 
of  Hanover  street  and  the  public  square.  He  died  Jan.  14,  1829. 
Mr.  Crawford  Foster,  a  practical  printer,  and  afterward  a  mer- 
chant on  Hanover  street,  joined  the  old  church  in  May  1821, 
and  became  a  trustee,  but  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
died  Nov.  2,  1853.  He  had  there  married  his  second  wife.  Miss 
Lydia  Ann  Collett  Bailey,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Lydia  (Steele) 
Bailey,  publisher,  granddaughter  of  Francis  Bailey,  publisher,  of 

*See  Appendix,  D. 


34  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa, 

Lancaster  and  Philadelphia.  Her  mother  Lydia  R.  Bailey,  after 
the  death  of  an  embarrassed  hunband,  built  up  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  prosperous  printing  establishments  in  Philadelphia, 
and  was  also  City  Printer  by  the  Councils.  She  died  there  Feb. 
21st,  1869.  The  younger  son  of  Mr.  Foster,  by  his  first  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pattison,  daughter  of  George  and  Nancy 
(Holmes)  Pattison,  is  a  member  of  Dr.  Thomas  Murphy's  con- 
gregation, Frankford,  Pa.;*  the  older  son  has  been  for  many 
years  a  worthy  Ruling  Elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Galena,  Illinois.  His  two  daughters,  by  the  second  marriage, 
were  active  members  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, and  one  is  now  the  wife  of  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

Abraham  Lamherton  was  a  farmer  and  trustworth}^  citizen 
of  North  Middleton  Townwhip.  His  father,  James  Lamberton, 
and  his  brother  Ross  Lamberton  had  been  elders  in  the  other 
church,  the  brother  removed  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in 
1857.  Abraham  Lamberton  was  not  a  communicant  at  the 
organization  of  this  church,  but  joined  by  examination  in  the 
spring  following.  He  was  elected  a  Ruling  Elder  in  1856,  but 
declined  to  act.  He  was  well  known  in  the  county  and  com- 
manded respect.  He  served  acceptably  as  School  Director, 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  County  Surveyor  and  for  two  sessions  in 
the  Legislature.  He  died  in  the  homestead,  where  he  was  born, 
Jan.  29th,  1869. 

John  Hays,  grandson  of  Adam  Hays,  and  son  of  Joseph  and 
Ann  (Gordon)  Haj'S — married  July  1st,  1788 — belonged  to  a 
family  that  settled  at  a  very  early  day  in  our  valley.  His  first 
wife  was  Jane  Pattison,  a  daughter  of  George  Pattison  Esq.. 
She  joined  the  First  Church  with  her  sister  in  1817.  Her  mother, 
Nancy  Holmes,  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  Holmes.  Mrs.  Jane 
Hays  died  Dec.  12,  1823.  Mr.  Hays'  second  wife  was  Mrs. 
Ellen  Wheaton,  widow  of  Dr.  Levi  Wheaton,  and  daughter  of 
Robert  Blaine,  to  whom  he  was  married,  March  9th,  1831.  Mr. 
Hays  had  been   among  our   active    citizens,    engaged  in  several 

*Died  Jan.  12th,  1884. 


Others  in  the  Organization.  35 

pursuits.  He  died  April  29th,  1854,  at  his  home,  a  few  miles 
west  of  Carlisle,  to  which  he  had  removed  about  1842.  His  only 
surviving  son,  John  Hays,  Esq.,  graduated  at  Dickinson  College, 
1857,  and  has  become  a  prominent  member  of  the  Bar.  He  be- 
longs to  this  church,  and  has  been  its  efficient  treasurer. 

Williain  Iti'tne  son  of  elder  James  Irvine  of  the  old  church, 
and  older  brother  of  deacon  Robert  Irvine  had  long  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  First  Church,  and  first  treasurer  of  the  new 
church.     He  died,  unmarried,  Aug.  21st,  1852. 

Joh)!  Agnciu  was  a  farmer  and  miller,  owning  the  mill  at 
the  southeast  suburb  of  our  town.  He  was  a  modest,  unassum- 
ing man,  constant  in  his  attendance  at  church  service,  lecture 
and  prayer-meeting.  His  son  William  giaduated  at  Dickinson 
College  in  1845,  (in  the  same  class  with  Gen.  R.  M.  Henderson 
of  our  borough)  studied  theology  at  Princeton,  became  a  tutor 
in  Oakland  College,  Miss.,  where  he  died  Sept.  17th,  1847. 

John  Williamson,  brother  of  Rev.  James  Williamson,  gradu- 
ated at  Dickinson  College  1808;  studied  law  under  Luther  Martin 
of  Maryland,  and  was  admitted  to  our  bar  in  1811.  He  was 
known  as  a  wise  councillor  rather  than  as  an  advocate;  was 
spoken  of  as  a  "walking  law-library."  He  died,  unmarried, 
Sept.  10th,  1870,  aged  81  years. 

Andrew  Holmes,  born  at  Bonny  Brook,  near  Carlisle,  May 
24th,  1770,  was  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Jane  Holmes.  Tfie 
latter  survived  her  husband,  and  died  here  July  4th,  1815.  Their 
town  home  stood  where  now  stands  the  Second  Church,  where 
he  lived  as  a  retired  farmer.  He  died  Nov.  27th,  1855.  His 
wife,  Ann  Holmes — a  sister  of  Deacon  Irvine — joined  the  Second 
Church  soon  after  its  organization,  by  dismissal  from  the  First 
Church.  She  died  June  16th,  1860.  Their  son,  Dr.  Wm.  Irvine 
Holmes,  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in  1829;  moved  to 
Clarksville,  Tenn.,  where  he  became  a  practicing  physician,  and 
married  Agnes  Ann  Allen.  Alfred  Holmes,  a  promising  candi- 
date for  the  ministry,  died  in  his  21st  year,  1835.  The  eldest 
daughter  became  the  wife  of  Rev.   Dr.   Jno.    M.  Krebs  of  New 


36  Presbyterian  Churches,  Cari^isle,  Pa. 

York,  a  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  youngest 
daughter,  who  joined  this  church  by  examination  Nov.  1833,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Rev.  Robert  Davidson,  D.D. 

John  Paxton,  born  in  Adams  county.  Pa.,  in  1796,  was  the 
son  of  Rev.  Wm.  Paxton,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Lower  Marsh 
Creek  church,  and  brother  of  Col.  James  Paxton,  and  uncle  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Paxton,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  in  New  York  City.*  He  was  a  leading  physician  in  Car- 
lisle, but  left  in  1836  on  account  of  his  health  for  sometime,  but 
died  here  in  1840. 

George  Metzger,  son  of  Paul  and  Susanna  Maria  (Bower) 
Metzger,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Pa.,  Nov.  19th,  1782,  and  died 
here  unmarried,  June  10th,  1897.  He  entered  Dickinson  Col- 
lege 1797;  was  admitted  to  the  Carhsle  Bar  in  1805;  served  as 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  our  county  in  1806;  was  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  1813-1814.  He  had  been  a  trustee 
of  Dickiuson  College  from  1825  to  1833,  and  a  warm  advocate  of 
its  transfer  to  the  present  management,  and  bequeathed  $500  to 
the  literary  society  of  which  he  had  been  an  active  member.  To 
him  we  are  indebted  for  the  existence  and  endowment  of  the 
large  and  beautiful  Metzger  Institute  of  this  place.  He  was  for 
years  a  trustee  of  this  church,  and  secretary  of  the  Board.  Though 
not  a  communicant,  he  was  a  pewholder  and  regular  attendant. 
He  was  a  man  of  slender  frame,  nervous  temperament.  Although 
modest  and  unobtrusive,  he  was  bright  and  social,  kind  and 
charitable. 

Gilbert  Searight  had  his  home  in  South  Middleton  Town- 
ship, as  had  his  father  before  him,  after  whom  he  was  named, 
who  died  Sept.  30,  1813.  He  was  a  substantial  farmer,  and  an 
estimable  citizen;  born  in  1787,  and  died  Dec.  4th,  1856.  The 
family  is  still  worthily  represented  in  the  communion  of  this 
church. 

James  Thomson — sometimes  spelled  Thompson — lived  in  the 
large  stone  house,  on  the  north  side  of  East  Main  street  said  to 

*Now  Professor  in  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 


Others  in  the  Organization.  37 

have  been  built  by  Robert  Miller.  He  died  Aug.  11th,  1843. 
His  daughter  Ann  was  married  to  Robert  Mclntyre,  Esq.,  of 
New  Bloomfield,  Pa.,  and  Hon.  Charles  J.  T.  Mclntyre  of  that 
place,  who  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in  1847,  is  his  grand- 
son. Elizabeth  was  married  to  Charles  Postley,  and  resided  in 
Baltimore.  Mary  became  the  second  wife  of  Martin  Herman, 
the  father  of  the  Hon.  M.  C.  Herman.  The  sons,  James,  William, 
and  John  removed  to  the  West. 

Benjamin  Fernald  lived  on  the  north  side  of  Louther  street, 
near  Pitt  street.  He  was  born  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  May  28th, 
1792.  In  earl)'  manhood  he  made  Carlisle  his  home,  where  he 
married  Miss  Oliver^  and  subsequently  Miss  Wright.  He  was  a 
quiet,  upright  and  industrious  mechanic,  a  good  citizen  and  an 
exemplary  member  of  the  church.  In  1847  he  removed  to  Jeffer- 
son, Indiana,  where  he  long  served  as  Ruling  Elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 

John  Huston,  was  a  respectable  citizen  and  farmer,  born  in 
Dickinson  Township,  1795,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1869.  Several  of  his  children  became  members  of  this  church. 
His  father  John  Huston,  Sr.  came  from  Lancaster  county. 

We  remember  Robert  young  as  a  venerable  man,  who  lived 
on  the  west  side  of  North  Hanover  street  near  its  extreme  end. 
In  1837  he  was  dismissed  to  the  Silver  Spring  Presbyterian  church, 
where  he  died  in  1842.  His  only  child,  by  his  first  wife,  Robert 
Graham  Young,  M.D. — born  Dec.  6th,  1809 — was  a  student  in 
Dickinson  College  in  1827;  and  was  also  dismissed  from  this 
church  to  Silver  Spring  Church,  1837,  in  which  he  served  as  a 
Ruling  Elder,  as  also  in  the  church  at  Mechanicsburg,  after  its 
organization  in  1860. 

William  B.  Murray,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Sept.  4th,  1808. 
Married  Margaret  Parker  Fleming,  Jan.  9th,  1834.  He  served 
for  years  as  a  trustee  of  his  church.  His  ancestors  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  this  valley. 


APPENDIX. 


In  order  the  more  certainly  to  secure  the  preservation  of 
some  very  interesting  and  important  old  church  papers — the 
originals  of  which  we  own — we  here  most  faithfully  transcribe 
them,  or  state  their  character,  as  well  as  herein  give  a  similar 
form  of  permanence  to  sorne  other  matters  of  interest  pertaining 
more  especially  to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  place. 

J.  A.  Murray. 

Carlisle,  Pa.,  1883. 


TERMS  OF  UNION. 

The  published  terms  to  which  we  have  referred,  the  original 
of  which  we  have  not,  we  here  copy,  so  as  to  have  them  all  to- 
gether, as  follows: 

"A  committee   was  appointed  by  the  congregation  lately 

under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.   Mr.  Dufl&eld,  which  proposed 

the  following  terms  of  union  to  the  congregation  under  the 

charge  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Davidson,  viz., 

1.  That  Dr.  Nisbet  receive  an  invitation  from  the  congre- 
gations when  united,  to  preach  alternately  or  one-half  the 
time  with  Dr.  Davidson  in  the  new  meeting-house. 

2.  That  a  salary  be  assigned  to  Dr.  Nisbet  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  whole  society,  so  long  as  he  may  continue  to 
preach  to  us,  and  that  no  part  of  Dr.  Davidson's  salary  be 
abridged  in  consequence  of  this  union. 

3;  That  such  of  the  members  of  the  congregation,  late 
Mr.  Duffield's  as  shall  subscribe  to  the  present  agreement,  pay 
the  price  set  or  to  be  set  on  such  seats  as  shall  be  allotted  to 
them  and  such  proportional  assessments  as  may  be  required 
to  be  laid  on  all  the  seats  from  time  to  time  for  further  re- 
pairs to  the  house. 

4.  That  the  subscribing  members  of  the  congregation  late 
under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Mr.    Duffield  pay  their  annual 

(38) 


Appendix.  39 

pew-money  to  such  collectors  as  the  united  congregation 
shall  appoint,  to  be  deposited  in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer. 

5.  That  on  the  removal  of  either  Dr.  Nisbet  or  Dr.  David- 
son by  death  or  otherwise,  a  successor  shall  be  called  or  in- 
vited by  the  united  society  as  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
whole  as  can  be  obtained. 

6.  That  immediately  on  the  agreement  of  these  proposals 
and  the  ratification  thereof  by  the  members  of  the  two  con- 
gregations, the  members  of  the  congregation  late  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Duffield  possess  an  interest  in  the  new  building 
and  glebe  and  be  entitled  to  an  equal  enjoyment  and  partici- 
pation of  all  privileges  civil  and  religious  with  the  members 
of  the  congregation  now  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Davidson.  And  that  the  lots*  now  in  possession  of  the  con- 
gregation late  Mr.  Dufheld's,  be  considered  and  shall  be- 
come the  common  property  of  the  united  society,  to  be  dis- 
posed of  in  such  way  and  manner  as  they  or  a  majority  of 
them  may  judge  to  be  most  expedient." 

The  first  paper  that  we  have  in  this  connection,  evidently 
written  by  Dr.  Davidson,  is  endorsed  on  the  back,  "Proposals 
for  a  union  of  Messrs  Steel's  and  Duffield's  congregations." 
(Mr.  Steel,  we  may  here  state,  was  not  living  at  the  time,  and 
Mr.  Duffield  was  residing  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  the  pas- 
tor of  another  church;  but  Dr.  Davidson  was  here  at  the  time, 
the  recent  successor  of  Mr.  Steel,  and  he  speaks  of  the  congrega- 
tions as  they  had  been  generally  known  in  the  community. ) 
This  paper,  however,  is  without  date.  It  is  as  follows: 
"At  a  meeting  of  the  first  congregation, 

"Resolved,  that  this  congregation  do  heartily  wish  for,  and 
hereby  cordially  invite  the  members  of  the  congregation, 
late  the  charge  of  the  Rev'd  Mr.  Duffield,  to  a  union  with 
us  on  the  following  terms,  viz., 

.  "The  members  of  the  congregation,  (late of  Mr.  Duffield), 
as  many  of  them  as  shall  choose  to  accept  of  this  invitation, 
shall  finish  our  meeting-house  from  its  present  state,  accord- 
ing to  the  original  plan. 

That,  having  done  so  the}'  shall  have  a  property  in  the  house 
immediately,  so  far  as  respects  the  gallerj'  and  those  seats  in 
the  lower  floor  which  ma)'  be  vacant  at  the  time  of  finishing 


*Two  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets,  No.  136 
and  No.  122,  papers  concerning  which  we  have.     J.  A.  M. 


40  Presbytkrian  Churches  Carlisle,  Pa. 

the  house;  and  shall  take  precedency,  or  have  choice  of  these 
seats  according  to  their  subscriptions  respectively.  That  as 
many  of  them  as  can  be  accommodated  shall  from  that  time, 
be  considered  as  full  and  complete  members  of  this  congrega- 
tion, and  entitled  to  all  the  religious  and  temporal  privileges 
and  emoluments  of  it,  and  subject  to  all  the  stated  and  inci- 
dental expenses  thereof. 

That  in  the  meantime,  we  will  exercise  all  sympathy  to- 
wards such  of  them  as  may  choose  to  join  us  so  as  to  accom- 
modate as  many  of  them  as  possible  in  our  seats,  until  our 
meeting-house  can  be  finished  aforesaid. 

And  that  in  order  to  obviate  and  take  away  every  ground 
of  future  distinction,  between  ourselves  and  those  who,  ac- 
cording to  this  plan,  shall  become  members  of  this  congrega- 
tion, all  vacancies  that  shall  happen  in  the  meeting-house, 
after  the  finishing  of  it,  whether  in  the  upper  or  lower  floor, 
shall  be  filled  according  to  the  subscription,  without  regard- 
ing whether  the  persons  were  original  or  late  members  of  the 
congregation." 

The  other  old  paper  on  this  subject,  which  we  have,  is  en- 
dorsed on  the  back  "Terms  agreed  by  the  Committees  of  the  two 
Congregations  in  Carlisle,"  and  is  as  follows: 

"Terms  agreed  toby  the  committees  of  the  two  congrega- 
tions in  Carlisle  for  affecting  a  union,  May  5th,  1786. 

1st.  That  the  members  of  the  congregation,  late  Mr.  Duf- 
field's,  who  subscribe  for  pews,  and  pay  the  annual  pew- 
money,  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  enjoy'd  by  Dr. 
Davidson's  congregation  in  common  with  them. 

2d.  That  all  future  expense  be  paid  by  the  united  congre- 
gation, in  proportion  to  their  annual  pew-money. 

3d.  That  all  property  belonging  to  either  congregation  be 
considered  as  belonging  to  the  United  Congregation,  under 
the  direction  of  the  committee  agreeable  to  their  proposed 
charter  of  incorporation. 

4th.  That  the  United  Congiegation  invite  Dr.  Nisbet  to 
preach  alternately  with  Dr.  Davidson,  and  that  such  salary 
be  annexed  to  his  services  as  the  majority  of  the  congrega- 
tion may  direct. 

5th.  That  on  the  death  or  removal  of  Dr.  Davidson  a  Pas- 
tor be  appointed  to  succeed  him  by  the  vote  of  the  United 
Congregation. 

6th.  That  on  the  death  or  removal  of  Dr.  Nisbet  the  vote 
of  the  United  Congregation  be  taken  whether  a  successor  be 
appointed  in  his  room." 


Appendix.  41 

B. 

OCCUPANTS  OF  THE  GALLERY. 

The  old  paper  in  our  possession  bears  on  its  back  this  en- 
dorsement: "A  List  of  the  names  of  Persons  who  have  taken 
Pews  in  ye  Gallery  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carlisle,  June 
13,  1786,"  with  some  memorandums*.  The  number  of  pews 
thus  taken  in  the  gallery  extends  from  one  to  forty-nine  in- 
clusive, and  the  names  of  the  persons  are  here  appended  in 
alphabetical  order:  John  Alexander,  Samuel  Alexander,  Wm. 
Blair,  Catherine  Bow,  Thomas  Brisband,  James  Brown,  James 
Caruthers,  Andrew  Calhoon,  Thomas  Craighead,  Thomas  Creigh. 
Andrew  Crockett,  William  Denny,  Jun'r,  James  Diven,  John 
Duncan,  Stephen  Duncan,  Thomas  Duncan,  William  Fleming, 
Lewis  Foulk,  David.  George,   Thomas  Greer,   James  Hamilton, 

Jonathan  Hasson,  Mrs.  Harper,  Huston,  Samuel  Irwine, 

Thomas  Jones,  Benjamin  Kidd,  John  Laird,  Matthew  Laird, 
Samuel  Laird,  David  Lindsey,  George  Logue,  Abraham  Loug- 
hridge,  Samuel  Lyon,  William  Lyon,  Charles  McClure,  Alex- 
ander McDowel,  Alexander  McKeehan,  William  McPherson, 
Henry  McQuown,  Matthew  Miller,  Philip  Miller,  Norris  Morri- 
son, George  Nimirick,  John  Officer,  Alexander  Parker,  John 
Patton,    Hugh    Patton,    John    Pollock,    Samuel    Postlethwaite, 

*[Among  other  memorandums  on  it  are:  "Mr.  Greer  has  taken  until 
this  day  week  to  Consider  whether  he  will  take  the  seat  in  the  Gallery  no  30 
and  if  he  Don't  Declare  to  one  of  the  Trustees  that  he  will  take  said  seat  at 
the  above  day  the  trustees  is  then  (will)  at  Liberty  to  give  it  to  any  per- 
son who  may  apply. 

nth  Aug.,  1787  John  Montgomery. 

Thos.  Greer  takes  the  above  Pew,  23rd  Aug.,  1787," 

"3  stoves — at  4-10-0 £13  10  o 

500  lbs.  Sheet  Iron 18  15  o 

Making  Pipes 5126 

Doors  and  Hanging 126 


£30    o  o' 


"Ralph  Nailer,  pd.  £3-  0-0 
C.  W.  Vanlear  3-15-0 

Sam'l  Lamb  2-  0-0 

and  M'Calester  i-io-i  "]  C.  F.  H. 


42  Pkesbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

George  Robisou,  James  Ross,  James  Rowney,  Jacob  Singer, 
James  Stuart,  Alexander  Thompson,  Moses  Thompson,  James 
Wallace,  William  Wallace,  Nathaniel  Weaklej',  J.  Webber, 
David  White,  John  Wray,  Robert  Wright,  Joseph  Young. 

Most  of  the  persons  named,  with  a  few  others,  had  pre- 
viously subscribed  toward  erecting  the  gallery  and  finishing  the 
church,  and  the  published  statement  has  been  made,  that  the 
amount  raised  was  414  Pounds  or  nearly  $1100.  The  gallery 
then  made  was  large  and  strong,  reached  by  a  heavy  and  sub- 
stantial stairway  at  the  southeast  and  southwest  corners  near 
each  entrance,  until  1827;  the  front  of  the  church  being  on  the 
south  side.  It  was  upheld  by  strong  and  well  finished  columns, 
two  of  which  may  now  be  seen  in  front  of  a  building  on  the  next 
lot,  north,  where  they  have  been  standing  more  than  fifty  years. 
The  pews  immediately  along  the  front  of  the  entire  gallery  were 
square,  and  these  were  separated  by  a  narrow  aisle  from  a  double 
row  of  pews  in  the  rear,  or  next  to  the  wall,  which  were  oblong. 
Accurately  speaking,  there  were  no  square  pews  on  the  lower 
floor,  excepting  along  the  south  side,  between  the  entrances, 
where  the  Presbyterian  aristocracy  sat ;  also  one  square  pew  on 
either  side  of  the  pulpit,  which  was  then  midway  at  the  north 
side;  as  well  as  one  square  pew  in  the  northeast  corner,  and  one 
in  the  northwest  corner.  These  were  the  only  square  pews  be- 
low, and  the  floor  of  them  all — excepting  the  two  near  the  pul- 
pit— was  about  eight  inches  above  the  aisles  and  the  floor  of  the 
other  pews;  and  only  these  square  pews  had  seats  on  all  sides. 
All  the  other  pews,  (and  they  were  the  most  numerous)  were 
made  in  the  ordinary  manner — they  were  oblong,  and  had  each 
but  one  seat. 

c. 

ARMSTRONG  LETTER. 

The  concluding  part  of  a  letter  from  "Col.  John  Armstrong 
to ,"  the  name  is  not  given,  but  supposed  to  be  Richard 


Appendix.  43 

Peters,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,    and   dated,    "Carlisle,  30th  June, 
1757"  is  as  follows: 

"To-morrow  we  begin  to  haul  the  Stones  of  ye  building  of  a 
Meeting  House  on  the  North  Side  of  the  Square,  there  was 
no  Other  convenient  place;  1  have  avoided  the  place  you 
•  Once  pitch'd  for  a  Church.  The  Stones  are  raised  Out  of 
Colo'l.  Stanwixes  entrenchments;  we  want  help  to  this  Polit- 
ical as  well  as  Religious  work. 
"I  am  Sir, 

"with  the  utmost  regard  and  esteem 
"your  most  affectionate  Humb'l  Servnt, 
"John  Armstrong." 

See  Pennsylvania  Archives.  Vol.  Ill,  p.  192,  The  quota- 
tion as  above  given  is  a  verbatim  quotation,  and  a  little  different 
from  that  which  appears  in  Rupp's  "History  of  Cumberland 
County,"  p.  431;  DuffiehV s  "Centennial  Discourse,"  p.  45; 
Nevin's  "Churches  of  the  Valley,"  p.  236.  There  is  a  redaction 
of  the  quotation  in  the  Appendix;  p.  348. 

We  do  not  know  anything  more  about  the  promised  move- 
ment than  is  indicated  in  the  above  quotation.  It  is  the  only  state- 
ment on  the  subject  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge.  But  it  is 
absolutely  certain  thai  the  existing-  structure  was  not  ccnwienced 
prior  to  the  year  iy6g. 

The  writer  permitted  a  letter  to  be  published  in  the  Carlisle 
Herald  of  July  31st.,  1884,  and  as  it  has  a  direct  bearing  on  this 
subject,  we  here  give  it  in  a  slightly  modified  form.* 

*[At  the  time  of  the  publication  of  this  letter,  in  18S4,  many  of  the  inter- 
estmg  facts,  conclusive  of  some  warmly  disputed  points  had  not  previously 
been  published.  It  was  called  forth  by  a  brochure,  published  by  a  member 
of  the  Luzerne  county  bar,  which  touched  upon  the  point  discussed  in  it 
The  chief  facts,  (as  stated  in  the  P.  S.  of  the  letter)  were  culled  from  the 
Memorial  Address,  and  in  anticipation  of  its  publication.  With  the  publi- 
cation of  the  latter,  with  its  fuller  details,  the  letter,  now,  is  chiefly  interest- 
ing as  containing  the  tirst  publication  of  the  facts;  and  the  printed  copy  of 
It  was  incorporated  by  the  writer  with  the  address  as  prepared  by  him  for 
the  press,  doubtless,  on  account  of  this  priority  of  publication. 

In  giving  it  at  this  time,  however,  liberty  has  been  taken  to  omit  some 
portions  of  it,  and  to  make  a  redaction  of  others,  preserving  only  essential 
details,  and  referring  to  the  published  address  and  the  letter  as  published  to 
hll  up  lacuna  as  may  be  desired.] 


44  Presbyterian  Churches,  Cari^isle,  Pa. 

"Carlisle.  Pa.,  July  16th,  1884. 
"My  dear  Sir: — 

I  have  noticed  a  brace  of  errors  to  which  you  will  kindly  per- 
mit me  to  direct  your  attention,  as  they  are  alike  obvious  to 
me  and  easily  corrected.  The  first  refers  to  the  time  when 
the  old  Stone  Church  here  was  begun,  and  the  second  to  Mr. 
Duffield's  relation  to  it.  (Allusion  is  here  made  to  the  grand- 
father of  Mr.  Duffield  who  was  long  afterwards  the  pastor  of 
the  church— from  1816  to  1835).  *  *  *  It  is  stated  that 
'the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Carlisle  had  been  commenced  in 
1757,'  and  that  'Mr.  Duffield  had  been  the  pastor  of  the 
church  for  twelve  or  thirteen  years  before  1772. '  Both  these 
statements  are  erroneous;  and  that  this  may  be  all  the  more 
evident  to  you,  I  will  here  be  excused  in  mentioning  brieflj^ 
some  facts."  [Here  follows  an  account  of  the  early  congre- 
gations as  given  elsewhere].  "It  is  probable  that  what  was 
afterward  called  'Mr.  Steel's  Meeting  House  in  Carlisle' — so 
called  to  distinguish  it  from  the  first  or  old  one  at  the  Meet- 
ing House  Springs,  and  from  Mr.  Duffield's  at  the  south- 
western corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets — was  erected 
not  long  after  he  had  become  the  succe.ssor  of  Mr.  Thomson, 
or  about  1759.  But  where  did  it  stand  ?  The  unhesitating 
answer  is,  on  lot  177  on  the  northwestern  corner  of  Hanover 
and  Louther  streets,  and  the  following  is  the  proof.  An  old 
parchment  deed,  recently  come  to  light,  by  the  Penns  in 
1761  to  the  'Congregation  of  Presbyterians  under  the  min- 
istry of  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Steel'  for  a  lot  of  ground  in  Car- 
lisle, which  lot  is  fully  described  and  limited  as  the  corner 
lot  aforesaid.  Also  a  plan  of  Carlisle,  made  in  1764,  on  which 
the  lot  at  that  corner  as  specified  in  the  deed  of  1761,  is  not 
only  numbered  '177,'  but  it  likewise  conveys  the  additional 
information  that  a  "meeting-house  then  stood  there,  which 
we  now  know  was  Mr.  Steel's;  just  as  the  same  plan  gives  us 
to  understand  that  a  'meeting-house'  stood  on  lot  136,  at  the 
southwestern  corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets,  and 
which  we  also  know  was  Mr.  Duffield's"  *  *  [account  of 
division  of  the  church  into  Old  and  New  Side] .  "Mr.  Steel 
represented  the  Old  Side  and  Mr.  Duffield  the  New.  The  two 
churches  in  which  they  ministered  were  precisely  the  same 
distance  from  the  center  square,  and  in  opposite  directions, 
the  one  on  the  north  side  and  the  other  on  the  south,  just  as 
we  can  easily  suppose  would  have  been  the  fact,  as  we  have 


Appendix.  45 

ample  reason  to  believe  that  there  was  not  the  most  cordially 
fraternal  relation  existing  between  them.  But  further,  I 
have  the  original  contracts  for  the  erection  of  the  present 
stone  church.  The  first  was  executed  in  1769.  The  founda- 
tion of  the  present  building  was  then  laid,  but  the  contractor 
failed  to  finish  it.  A  second  agreement  was  made  with  an- 
other contractor  in  1771,  and  the  building  was  resumed  and 
completed.  And  let  it  be  fully  understood,  that  this  was 
the  work  specifically  and  exclusively  of  Mr.  Steel's  people. 
About  the  time  of  its  being  ready  for  use,  in  1772,  Mr.  Duf- 
field — between  whom  and  Mr.  Steel,  as  the  minutes  of  Pres- 
bytery show,  the  most  agreeable  relation  did  not  exist — ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  he  was  never  succeeded  by  a  pastor  in  Carlisle. 
But,  mark  it,  fourteen  years  after  he  had  left  this  place,  the 
remnant  of  his  former  flock  here  united  with  the  other  Pres- 
byterian church  under  the  co-ministry  of  Drs.  Davidson  and 
Nisbet.  Mr.  Steel,  after  being  pastor  of  the  church  about 
twent};^  years,  died  here  in  1779,  and,  as  already  shown  the 
First  Church  lauilding,  erected  whilst  he  was  pastor,  had  an 
existence  where  it  now  stands  about  fifteen  years  prior  to 
the  long  coming  union  in  Carlisle,  the  terms  of  which  were 
formally  agreed  to  in  May  of  1786."  ^  H^  *  *  [sketch 
of  Mr.  Steel] . 

'  'It  is  presumable  that  the  old  church  at  the  Meeting  House 
Springs  was  soon  or  gradually  abandoned  after  the  erection 
of  'Mr.  Steel's  meeting-house  in  Carlisle,'  which  was  'a  two- 
story  house  of  worship,'  at  the  corner  of  Hanover  and 
lyouther  streets;  and  that  the  latter  was  also  disused  imme- 
diately after  the  erection  of  the  present  edifice,  though  the 
deed  for  the  old  church  lot,  177,  was  not  given  until  1761, 
3^et  it  is  very  probable  that  the  church  may  have  been  put  up 
some  time  earlier,  about  1759,  as  it  occasionally  occurred 
that  ground  was  selected  and  occupied  before  a  perfectly  full 
title  had  been  obtained  for  it.  This  fact  explains  the  meet- 
ing of  Presbytery  there  in  October  1760,  by  a  resolution 
adopted  at  the  previous  meeting  of  April.  Mr.  Duffield's 
church  was  probably  first  used  by  him  about  1759.  He  left 
it  in  1772.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1779.  And  the 
ground  was  sold  in  1792,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
union.  Mr.  Duffield  was  the  first  and  last  pastor  of  it."  * 
*     *     *     "I   am    not   aware,    however,    that    he  ever  once 


46  Presbytekian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

preached,  or  was  ever  once  present,  in  the  old  Stone  Church; 
and  I  do  not  know  why  that  building  is  so  often  spoken  of 
as  having  been  his  church,  (the  erection  of  which  he  rather 
opposed  then  favored),  unless  it  be  merel)^  because  that  four- 
teen years  after  he  had  left  Carlisle  the  remnant  of  his  old 
congregation  here  united  with  the  First  Church  congrega- 
tion, and  thence  forward  constituted  an  integral  portion  of 
it.  Strictly  and  accurately  speaking  he  was  never  either  the 
predecessor  or  the  successor  of  Mr.  Steel,  nor  his  co-pastor 
in  the  same  church.  But  he  was  the  only  New  Side  min- 
•  ister  settled  in  Carlisle,  and  his  church  was  in  another  part 
of  the  town.  The  foregoing  statement,  as  I  firmly  believe, 
embodies  the  main  facts  in  the  case,  and  no  amount  of  mere 
assertion  or  special  pleading  will  convince  me  that  the  state- 
ment is  not  truthful  and  reliable,  both  in  regard  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  First  church  and  the  first  Mr.  Duffield 
having  been  the  pastor  of  it. 

"How  does  it  happen  then,  you  may  ask,  that  so  many  of 
our  generation  have  been  led  astray  on  this  subject.  '^  * 
The  only  reason  for  it  of  which  the  writer  has  anj;-  knowl- 
edge, was  an  unsubstantiated  paragraph,  taken  from  a  letter 
written  by  Col.  Armstrong  in  1757,  in  which  says:  'To- 
morrow we  begin  to  haul  stones,  etc'  That  is  all  of  it;  and 
this  often-misquoted  and  utterly  uncorroborated  and  inap- 
plicable utterance,  merely  intimating  the  intention  of  some- 
thing future,  is  all  that  was  known  in  1857  about  the  sup- 
posed commencement  of  the  First  Church.  Let  it  not  be  for- 
gotten, however,  that  Col.  Arm.strong  belonged  to  Mr.  Duf- 
field's  flock,  and  not  to  that  of  Mr.  Steel;  he  was  an  active 
Elder  of  that  flock,  and  his  sister  was  the  wife  of  Mr.  Duf- 
field;  and  we  may  rationally  suppose — judging  from  the 
strong  feeling  that  existed  between  both  parties  tov»?ards 
each  other — -that  the  Colonel  had  then  no  large  and  generous 
sympath}^  for  the  Steel  party  and  its  work.  *%*>!<* 
If  there  were  any  stones  hauled,  as  promised  by  Col.  Arm- 
strong, it  is  highly  probable  that  they  were  for  the  founda- 
tion of  his  own,  or  New  Side  Church,  at  the  southwestern 
corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets,  and  which  was  likely 
commenced  at  the  time  mentioned  in  his  letter.  Certain  it 
is,  I  have  never  seen,  or  heard,  or  known  of  any  reliable  evi- 
dence showing  that  there  ever  had  been  a  church  where  now 
stands  the  one  commenced — not  'in  1757,'  but  in  1769.  In- 
deed I  not  only  very  greatly  doubt  that  the  place  mentioned 


Appendix,  47 

in  the  Armstoug  letter  refers  at  all  to  the  place  where  is  the 
present  house  of  worship,  but  I  honestly  believe  it  does  not, 
nor  do  I  believe  that  any  church  ever  stood  there  prior  to 
the  erection  of  the  present  admirable  structure.  According 
to  the  plan  of  Carlisle— made  in  1764  by  Judge  Creigh,  who 
was  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the  First  Church — there  is  no  indica- 
tion of  a  meeting-house  standing  there,  as  is  the  fact  both 
at  the  corner  of  Hanover  and  Ivouther,  and  at  the  corner  of 
Hanover  and  Pomfret,  but  it  is  designated  as  'Presbyterian 
Church  Ground,'  whereas  on  the  opposite  section  of  the 
square.  East,  there  is  given  on  the  plan  both  the  drazuing 
and  the  uavie  of  the  'Episcopal  Church.'^  *  *  *  It  is 
justly  supposable  that  the  so-called  ' Presley terian  Church 
Ground,'  on  the  northwestern  section  had  been  selected  for 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  future.  *  *  It  was  for 
the  erection  of  the  present  church  on  this  ground — a  church 
so  exceedingly  creditable  to  its  founders — that  an  agreement 
was  made,  Feb.  16,  1769,  which  was  duly  signed  by  the 
stone-mason  and  the  nine  'Commissioners  nominated  and 
Appointed  for  and  in  Behalf  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Con- 
gregation at  Carlisle  in  the  County  of  Cumberland  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Rev'd  John  vSteel,'  as  reads  the  first  con- 
tract, in  which  all  the  specifications  are  detailed,  and  the 
second  contract  executed  April  26,  1771,  is  very  similar  to 
it.  The  more  I  examine  and  consider  the  matter  the  more 
am  I  convinced  that  Col.  Armstrong  inteudcd  to  refer  to  the 
South  side  of  the  square,  or  to  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Han- 
over and  Pomfret  streets.  It  was  a  mistake,  or  lapsus  adami 
that  could  be  very  easily  made,  especially  in  the  usual  hurry 
of  writing  a  letter,  as  many  others  of  like  nature  have  been 
made  and  published  even  by  the  painstaking  historian  in 
grave  and  permanent  history — and  we  know  that  it  is  not  a 
difficult  matter  to  do  so — and  might  not  Col.  Armstrong 
make  one  such  mistake  in  writing  a  letter  currcnte  calamo, 
and  say  'North,'  when  he  really  meant  to  say  'vSouth'  side? 
*  *  *  But  it  is  immaterial  just  when  the  New  Side  church 
was  erected,  and  it  is  also  immaterial  whether  the  Armstrong 
letter  contains  a  slip  of  the  pen  or  a  typographical  error,  or 
neither;  that  which  I  insist  upon,  as  now  fully  established, 
is  that  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ca  rlisle  was  founded 


48  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

or  commenced  in  1769.  and  that  the  first  Mr.   Duffield  was 
never  the  pastor  of  it,"     *     *     * 

"Yours  very  truly, 

"J.  A.  Murray. 
"P.  S.  The  chief  facts  which  appear  in  the  foregoing  let- 
ter I  have  culled  from  the  Memorial  Discourse  which  I  had 
carefully  prepared  and  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  the  Semi- 
centennial Anniversary  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Carlisle,  January  12th,  1883.  *  *  *  lu  the  Appendix 
of  that  discourse  I  have  given,  inter  alia,  the  contracts  for 
the  erection  of  the  First  Church,  in  1769  and  1771,  as  well 
as  the  Terms  of  Union  proposed  by  the  two  congregations, 
and  agreed  to  in  1786 — all  of  which,  Providence  favoring, 
will  be  duly  published, 

J.  A.  M." 

[With  the  admirable  candor  of  the  true  historian,  after  the 
facts  had  been  fully  brought  to  his  attention.  Dr.  Wing  recog- 
nized the  bearing,  upon  warmly  controverted  points,  of  this  after 
discovered  evidence,  and  published,  April  1888,  a  leaflet  of  "Cor- 
rections and  Additions"  to  his  "History  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,"  constituting  pp.  259-263  of  the  book, 
which  was  distributed  gratuitously  to  all  who  had  copies  of  the 
history.  The  following  brief  extracts  will  serve  to  show  the  con- 
clusion of  the  historian  at  that  time,  1888.  1.  Referring  to  p.  71 
of  the  history:     *     * 

"From  the  fact  that  the  Presbytery  agreed  in  1759  to 
meet  next  year  'at  Air.  Steel's  meeting-house  in  Carli.sle' 
we  infer  that  the  congregation  had  done  what  was  then  very  com- 
mon, by  taking  possession  of  and  building  upon  ground  for 
which  a  deed  had  not  been  obtained.  On  this  lot  the  congrega- 
tion appear  to  have  held  their  meetings  without  interruption  for 
at  least  twelve  years.  It  was  not  until  1769  that  the  foundation 
was  laid  for  the  stone  building  now  in  possession  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  congregation  of  Carlisle.  For  a  long  time  the  im- 
pression prevailed  that  this  was  the  structure  referred  to  in  John 
Armstrong's  letter  to  Richard  Peters,  dated  'Carlisle,  30th  June, 
1757,'  in  which  he  writes:   'To-morrow  we  begin  to  haul  stones. 


Appendix.  49 

etc.  *  *  * '  In  the  histories  of  Cariisle  for  many  years  it 
was  assumed  that  this  was  the  date  of  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  of  that  building.  A  more  careful  consideration  of  the  let- 
ter, and  the  discovery  of  papers  not  then  made  public,  lead  to  a 
very  different  conclusion.  An  old  map  of  Carlisle,  made  about 
1764,  locates  an  Episcopal  Church  on  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  public  square,  and  gives  no  indication  of  any  church  or  of 
any  structure  on  the  northwestern  quarter.  Indeed,  the  warrant 
for  the  possession  of  the  northwestern  quarter  of  the  public 
square,  for  public  worship  only,  was  not  given  by  the  Penns  to 
the  Presbyterians  of  Carlisle  until  Sept.  12th,  1766.  *  *  We 
have  notice  that  in  August,  1761,  two  pounds  ten  shillings  were 
sent  from  Susquehanna  to  Mr.  Montgomery  (not  the  Presby- 
terian elder  of  Mr.  Steel's  church,  but  a  painter  and  builder),  by 
James  Patterson,  'to  be  paid  to  the  Rev.  William  Thompson, 
and  to  be  applied  to  the  building  of  a  church  in  Carlisle.'  As 
Mr.  Thompson  was  then  the  minister  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
erected  about  that  time,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  the  building 
alluded  to  was  that  which  belonged  to  that  church,  situated  on 
the  south  side  of  tlie  northeasteen  quarter  of  the  square.  As 
this  too  was  only  four  years  afterthedateof  General  Armstrong's 
letter,  and  as  the  English  church  was  then  closely  connected  with 
'political  as  well  as  religious  work,'  we  need  not  be  much  sur- 
prised to  find  that  civil  officers  like  General  Armstrong  should 
speak  of  the  building  of  such  a  structure  as  of  common  interest. 
Certainly  there  was  no  other  church  which  was  built  near  that 
time,  and  at  the  'north  side  of  the  square.' 

Decisive  also  on  this  question  of  date  are  two  doccments, 
now  in  possession  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Murray,  D.D.  The  first  is  a 
contract  executed  February  16th,  1769  *  *  *"  and  "the 
original  of  another  contract  dated  April  26th,  1771." 

>[;  'ji  ^  ;!<  :^<  ;ic  jj; 

"5,  *  *  *  "as  we  have  seen  that  the  letter  of  General 
Armstrong  (p.  71),  had  no  relation  to  the  building  of  the  stone 
church,    and    that    that   church    had    not   been  commenced  be- 


50  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

fore  1769,  and  had  not  been  used  for  worship  before  1772.  *  * 
*  *  The  error  had  been  created  by  the  difficuly  of  understand- 
ing General  Armstrong's  letter  with  any  other  reference,  and  the 
consequent  interpretation  of  that  letter  by  all  writers  upon  the 
subject  for  more  than  a  generation.  For  the  truth  of  history 
however,  it  is  gratifying  that  the  veritable  centennial  has  finally 
been  ascertained."] 

D. 

CONTRACTS. 

The  following  is  a  true  copy,   verbatim  et   literatim,  of  the 
original  contract: 

"Articles  of  Agreement  Made  and  Concluded  by  and  Be- 
tween John  McGlathery  Mason  of  the  One  Part  and  John 
Montgomery,  John  Byers,  Robert  Miller,  John  Davis,  James 
Young,  Jonathan  Holmes,  William  Moore,  William  Miller, 
and  Samuel  Laird,  Commissioners  nominated  and  appointed 
for  and  in  Behalf  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Congregation  at 
at  Carlisle  in  the  County  of  Cumberland  under  the  Pastoral 
Care  of  the  Rev.  John  Steel  of  the  Other  Part  Witnesseth 
that  the  said  John  McGlathery  for  the  Consideration  herein- 
after Mentioned  Doth  Covenant  and  Promise  to  and  with  the 
said  Commissioners  that  he  the  said  John  McGlathery  Shall 
and  Will  find  and  provide  at  his  Own  Proper  Costs  and 
Charges  all  Materials  Requisite  and  Necessary  (Excepting 
Scaffold  Boards  and  Poles  and  Compleat  and  Finish  the  Shell 
of  a  Meeting  House  in  the  Center  Square  at  Carlisle  of  the 
Dementions  of  Seventy  feet  Front  and  Fifty  feet  Deep  in  the 
Clear.  The  South  Front  and  East  end  to  be  Ranged  Work 
equal  to  the  Front  of  Mr.  Adam  Hoops  House  in  said  Town.* 
The  Foundation  to  the  Floor  be  good  and  sufficient  and 
three  feet  thick  and  the  Walls  above  the  Floor  to  be  Two 
Feet  Thick  at  Least  the  Arches  over  the  Windows  to  be  of 
Cut  White  Stone  and  a  Belt  Round  the  said  Building  of  the 


*This  handsome  two-storied  stone  house  on  lot  173,  afterwards  the  home 
of  Mr.  Thomas  Foster,  where  is  now  the  Egolff  Boarding-House,  and  which 
was  taken  down  some  years  ago,  to  make  room  for  the  present  open  front 
and  three-storied  building— on  North  Hanover  street,  'at  present  (1889) 
owned  by  W.  F.  Sadler,  Esq. 


Appendix. 


51 


same  kind  of  Cut  Stone  and  that  the  said  Building  be  made 
of  a  Proportionable  Hight  and  agreeable  to  the  Plan  and 
finished  in  Manner  above  Mentioned  and  Painted  in  a  work- 
manlike Manner  on  or  before  tlie  First  Day  of  October  next 
and  the  said  John  Montgomery,  John  Byers,  Robert  Miller, 
John  Davis,  James  Young,  Jonathan  Holmes,  William  Moore, 
William  Miller  and  Samuel  Laird  in  Consideration  of  the 
said  Work  being  Done  and  Performed  as  aforesaid.  Do 
Covenant  and  Promise  to  Pay  to  the  said  John  McGlathery 
the  Sum  of  Fifteen  Shillings  ^  Perch  Running  Measure  for 
said  Work  so  Completed  as  above  Mentioned  Fifty  Pounds 
Part  hereof  to  be  paid  as  soon  as  the  said  John  McGlathery 
begins  to  Build  the  said  House  and  the  Remainder  of  the 
same  in  Two  Equal  Payments  the  One  to  be  made  on  the 
First  day  of  November  next  and  the  Other  to  be  made  the 
First  day  of  May  Anno  Dom  1770.  In  Witness  whereof  the 
said  Parties  to  these  Present  have  hereunto  Interchangeably 
Set  their  hands  and  Seals  the  Day  and  year  First  Above 
Written  being  Feb'y  16th,  1769. 
Sealed  and  Delivered 


In  Presence  of  Us — 

Robert  Magaw 
Richard  Tea* 


John  McGlathery   (seal) 
John  Davis  (seal) 

James  Young  (seal) 

Jonathan  Holmes    (seal) 
Wm.  Moore  (seal) 

Wm.  Miller  (seal) 

Saml.  Laird  (seal) 

John  Montgomery  (seal) 
John  Holmes  (seal) 

Robert  Miller        (seal)" 

*The  old  paper  bears  the  endorsement  "Lodged  by  consent  of  the  par- 
ties in  ye  hands  of  Rd.  Tea,"  who  owned  the  lot  at  the  south-west  intersec- 
tion of  Main  and  Pitt  streets,  where  the  Mansion  House  now  stands,  and 
owned  it  as  early  as  1764.  The  name  of  John  Holmes  is  attached  to  the 
foregoing  agreement,  but  that  of  John  Byers  is  not,  though  the  latter  is 
mentioned  as  among  the  Commissioners,  and  the  other  is  not. 

[The  complete  endorsement  is  as  follows: — "Article  The  Commission- 
ers. &c..  of  Mr.  Steels  Congr'tion  with  John  McGlathery. 

Lodged  by  Consent  of  Parties  in  ye  hands  of  Rd  Tea."  In  this  en- 
dorsement as  weli  as  in  the  body  of  the  contract,  the  name  is  spelled 
"Glathery,"  whilst  he  signed  his  name  "Glathry." — C.  F.  H.] 


52  Presbyterian  Churches,  Cakusle*  Pa. 

After  beginning  the  work,  or  laying  the  foundation  of  it, 
Mr.  McGlathery  failed  to  finish  it,  and  hence  the  following, — a 
true  copy  of  another  original  contract: — * 

"Articles  of  Agreement  Made  and  Concluded  by  and  Be- 
tween Stephen  Folk  Mason  of  the  one  part  and  John  Mont- 
gomery, John  Byers,  Robert  Miller,  John  Davis,  James 
Young,  Jonathan  Holmes,  William  Miller,  William  Moore 
and  Samuel  Laird,  Commissioners  Nominated  and  Appointed 
for  and  in  behalf  of  the  first  Presbyterian  Congregation  at 
Carlisle  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev'd  Mr.  John  Steel 
of  the  Other  part,  Witnesseth  that  the  said  Stephen  Folk 
for  the  Consideration  herein  after  Mentioned  Doth  Covenant 
and  promise  to  and  with  the  said  Commiss'rs  that  he  the 
said  Stephen  Folk  shall  and  will  find  and  provide  at  his  Own 
proper  Costs  and  Charges  all  Materials  Requisite  and  Neces- 
sary (Excepting  Scaffold  Boards  and  Scaffold  poles  which 
poles  said  Folk  is  to  Cut  and  they  are  to  be  bawled  for  him) 
and  Complete  and  Finish  the  Shell  of  a  Stone  Meeting  House 
in  said  Town  on  the  Foundation  already  made  by  John  Mc- 
Glathery which  is  seventy  feet  front  and  fifty  feet  Deep  from 
Out  to  Out  the  South  Front  and  East  End  to  be  good  Ranged 
Work  Superior  to  any  Work  in  said  Town  Mr.  Adam  Hoops 
House  only  Excepted  the  Walls  are  to  be  two  feet  three 
inches  thick  to  the  Water-table  and  from  thence  to  the 
Square  two  feet  thick  at  Least  and  the  Gables  18  Inches 
thick  all  Sufiiciently  built  with  lime  and  Sand  Mortar  the 
Walls  are  to  be  thirty  feet  high  from  the  Foundation  to  the 
Square  and  the  Gable  ends  agreeable  to  the  plan  of  the  Roof, 
But  if  it  should  be  Necessary  to  build  the  Walls  any  higher 
said  Folk  shall  be  paid  in  proportion  there  is  Rabits  to  be 
made  in  the  Walls  to  Receive  the  Window  bases  Agreeable 
to  the  plan  Drawn  by  Mr.  Robert  Smith  of  Philad'a  for  said 
House  said  Folk  shall  use  the  utmost  of  his  Endeavor  to 
have  the  Walls  built  in  time  for  the  Carp'rs  to  put  on  the 
Roof  before  Winter  Next  Ensuing.  And  the  said  John 
Montgomery,  John  Byers,  Robert  Miller,  John  Davis,  James 
Young,  Jonathan  Holmes,  William  Miller,  William  Moore 
and  Samuel  Laird  in  Consideration  of  said  Work  being  Com- 

*[The  endorsement  on  this  paper  is  as  follows :— "Articles  &c  between 
Comm'rs  and  Stephen  Folk."  The  name  spelled  here,  and  also  in  the  body 
of  the  contract,  "Folk,"  according  to  the  signature  to  the  contract  should  be 
spelled  "Foulk."— C.F.H.] 


Appendix.  53 

pleatly  done  and  Finished  as  Aforesaid  Doth  Covenant  and 
promise  to  pa}^  to  the  said  Stephen  Folk  the  Sum  of  Four 
Hundred  and  Thirty-six  Pounds  Current  Money  of  Pennsyl- 
vania* in  the  Following  manner  viz  Fifty  Pound  at  the  be- 
ginning of  said  Work  besides  the  Materials  already  provided 
which  are  valued  at  Sixty-six  Pounds  Eleven  Shillings  and 
sixpence  which  said  Folk  is  to  take  in  part  of  Pay  and 
Ninety-two  Pounds  when  the  House  is  half  Built  and  Ninety- 
two  pounds  More  when  the  whole  Work  is  Compleated  and 
the  Remainder  at  the  Expiration  of  one  j^ear  afterwards.  In 
witness  wliereof  the  said  parties  to  these  presents  have  here- 
unto Interchangeably  Set  their  Hands  and  Seals  this  Twenty 
Sixth  Day  of  April,  1771. 
Sealed  and  Delivered 
in  the  presence  of  Us — 

James  Pollock         Stephen  Foulk         (seal) 
Wm.  Alexander     John  Montgomery  (seal) 
Robt.  Miller  (seal) 

John  Davis  (seal) 

James  Young  (seal) 

Jonathan  Holmes   (seal) 
Wm.  Miller  (seal) 

Wm.  Moore  (seal) 

Sam'lEaird  (seal)" 

John  Byers'  name  is  not  among  the  names  attached  to  the 
above  agreement.  The  original  of  the  foregoing  is  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Robert  Magaw,  Esq. 

E. 

THE  OLD  CHURCH  SEOWEY  COMPEETED. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  "United  Congregation"  did 
not  exist  prior  to  the  adoption  of  "the  terms  of  Union,"  which 
led  to  it  and  produced  it,  and  this  did  not  occur  until  "May  5th, 
1786."  The  very  "Proposals  for  a  Union"t  from  Mr.  Steel's 
people,  render  it  very  manifest  that  the  church  building  was  then 
incomplete.  The  first  proposition  is,  that  Mr.  Dufheld's  people 
"shall  finish  our  meeting-house  from  its  present  state,  according  to 
the  original  plan."     The  second  proposition  is,  that,  having  done 

♦About  ^1260. 
tSee  Appendix  A. 


54  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

so,  theyshall  have  a  right  to  "the  Gallery  and  those  seats  on  the 
lowerfloor  which  may  be  vacant  at  the  time  of  finishing  the  house. ' ' 
And  afterwards  we  have  the  proposition,  "that  in  the  meantime, 
we  will  exercise  all  sympathy  towards  such  of  them  as  may  choose 
to  join  us,  so  as  to  accommodate  as  many  of  them  as  possible  in 
our  seats,  until  our  meeting-house  can  be  finished  aforesaid. 
Does  not  all  this  language  show,  that  in  May,  1786,  the  church 
was  not  finished  ? — and,  if  so,  surely  it  had  not  previously  re- 
ceived its  "completion." 

Let  us  now  look  at  some  other  cumulative  evidence.  We 
have  an  original  subscription  paper,  gotten  up  by  those  who  de- 
sired to  see  the  church  completely  finished,  dated  "Carlisle,  21st 
May,  1787,"  and  on  it  the  autographic  signatures  of  twelve  very 
respectable  men,  who  for  the  very  purpose  of  expediting  the 
completion  of  the  work,  advanced  the  sums  annexed  to  their 
names,  in  the  hope  of  being  in  due  season  reimbursed.  Most 
certainly  there  would  have  been  no  occasion  for  this  action  in 
1787,  if  the  work  had  been  completed  more  than  a  year  before. 
It  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Davidson,  and  is  as  follows:* 

"We  the  subscribers,  wishing  to  see  our  house  of  worship 
completely  finished,  which  we  have  reason  to  hope  will  soon 
be  the  case;  and  fearing  that,  notwithstanding  the  pressing 
calls  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  on  former  subscribers,  and 
measures  taken  to  obtain  from  them  the  sums  which  they 
owe,  the  immediate  necessities  and  demands  of  the  workmen 
will  not  be  so  speedily  answered  thereby  as  to  ennable  them 
to  proceed  without  interruption;  hoping  also  that  every  ex- 
ertion will  be  made,  to  collect  those  subscriptions  on  which 
the  congregation  has  depended  for  finishing  the  house,  and 
that  the  sums  now  advanced  by  us  will  be  refunded,  when 
the  congregation  shall  hav^e  had  it  in  their  power,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  receiving  said  former  subscriptions;  do  there- 
fore promise  to  pay  into  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer  the  sums 
annexed  to  our  names  respectively. 

Carlisle,  21st  May,  1787." 

*[The  only  endorsement  on  this  paper,  in  two  lines,  is  as  follows: — 

1787,  May  23,  Reed,  of  General  Armstrong — In  hard  money— £2-0-0 

"        "      "    Reed,  of  Ditto  -In  paper  money —  3-0-0 

pr.  me,  John  Creigh."]  C.  F.  H. 


Appendix.  55 

Then  follow  the  names  of  Robert  Davidson,  John  Arm- 
strong, Robert  Miller,  John  Montgomery,  Wm.  Moore,  Samuel 
Laird,  James  Irvine,  Thos.  Craighead,  Stephen  Duncan,  John 
Creigh,  Ephraim  Steel,  and  John  Agnew,  with  the  specified 
amount  subscribed  by  each,  and  payment  also  acknowledged  as 
having  been  made  "in  hard  money"  and  "in  paper  money." 

We  have  also  a  large  and  very  interesting  subscription 
paper — cut  by  frequent  folding,  and  then  sewed  together — hand- 
somely prefaced,  and  bearing  the  autographic  signatures  of  about 
sevent}^  ladies,  including  the  most  prominent  in  the  community, 
with  those  of  a  number  of  gentlemen,  and  the  several  figures  an- 
nexed to  their  names  aggregate  a  large  amount  in  the  currency 
of  the  times — in  Pounds,  Shillings  and  Pence.  It,  however,  has 
no  date,  but  was  possibly  issued  in  1786  or  '87,  or  sometime  after 
the  union  had  been  consummated,  as  it  is  evidently  a  fruit  of  the 
union,  and,  as  stated  in  its  preface,  the  church  was  '■''yet far  from 
being  completed.''  It  is  also  therein  stated  that,  "as  the  gentle- 
men are  concerting  measures  for  erecting  a  gallery,  the  Ladies, 
wishing  to  encourage  them,  as  well  as  to  evince  their  own  zeal  in 
the  good  work,  undertook  the  finishing  and  ornamenting  of  the 
Pulpit.'''  It  is  not  an  an  easy  matter  to  decipher  a  few  of  the 
names,  but  we  here  copy  the  paper: 

"A  plan  for  finishing  the  Pulpit  of  the  1st  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Carlisle. 
We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  taking-  into 
our  serious  consideration  the  state  of  our  house  of  worship, 
which  is  yet  far  from  being  completely  finished,  highly 
pleased  to  find  that  the  gentlemen  of  their  Society  are 
concerting  measures  for  erecting  a  Gallery,  etc.,  and 
being  earnestl}^  desirous  both  to  imitate  their  good  ex- 
ample, and  to  strengthen  their  hands  and  heighten 
their  zeal,  in  so  laudable  an  undertaking — not  willing 
that  they  alone  would  have  all  the  merit  and  honor 
of  making  our  house  as  decent  and  commodious  for  ourselves 
and  our  teacher  as  we  wish  to  see  it — have  therefore  upon 
mature  deliberation,  resolved  that  we  will  take  upon  our- 
selves the  finishing  and  ornamenting  of  the  pulpit — for 
which  purpose  we  will  pay  into  the  hands  of  our  Treasurer, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Montgomery,  the  sums  annexed  to  our  several 
names." 


56  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

The  following  are  the  names,  but  arranged  in  alphabetical 
order:  Sarah  Allen,  Sarah  Blair,  Catherine  Bow,  Priscilla  Boyd, 
Marie  Butler,  Sally  Butler,  Isabella  CanipbelL  Margaret  Cooper, 
Abigail  Davidson,  Margaret  Didier,  Sarah  Duncan,  Ann  Eaken, 
Eleanor  Ervin,  Jean  Forbes,  Rebecca  Foster,  Agnes  Gregg,  Re- 
becca Gustine,  Elizabeth  Harper,  Margaret  Heap,  Mary  Hender- 
son, Mary  Hunter,  Ann  Irvine,  Ag.  Jordan,  Sarah  Kennedy, 
Sofia  Kouph,  Elizabeth  Eaird,  Mary  Laird,  Isedo  Lamb,  Mrs. 
David  Lamb,  Mary  Linsey,  Rachel  Lowry,  Eleanor  Lyon, 
Emeha  McClure,  Susannah  McCroskey,  Eleanor  McCurdy,  Ann 
McDowell,  Elizabeth  McDowell,  Sarah  McDowell,  Jenny  Mc- 
Keehan,  Mrs.  Martin,  Sarah  Montgomery,  Hannah  Morgan, 
Agnes  Officer,  Mrs.  Becchy  Parker,  Rebeeca  Parker,  Jas.  Parker's 
wife,  Lucinda  Piper,  Grace  Pollock,  Mary  Pollock,  Mary  Postle- 
thwaite,  Matilda  Postlethwaite,  Stella  Reed,  Susannah  Ross, 
Jannet  Rowan,  Elizabeth  Semple,  Mary  Singer,  Letitia  Smith, 
Agnes  Steel,  Martha  Stuart,  Agnes  Thomson,  Eleulath  Thomp- 
son, Rebecca  Thornburgh,  Elizabeth  Vanlief,  Sarah  Wallace, 
Esther  "Weakley,  Janet  Williamson,  Margaret  Woods,  Mary 
Wray;  and  the  names  of  the  several  men,  Samuel  Alexander, 
William  Alexander,  Cristin  Cart,  Jacob  Clouser,  Samuel  David- 
son, Samuel  Edmiston,  Lewis  Foulk,  Robert  Gibson,  Joseph 
Givin.  Samuel  Gray,  Wm.  Lewis,  John  Miller,  Phillip  Miller, 
John  Morrison  and  Hugh  Wilson. 

Dr.  Smith  in  his  History  of  Old  Redstone  Presbytery,*  tells 
us  that  it  was  not  until  ten  or  twelve  years  after  said  Presbytery 
had  held  its  last  meeting,  in  1793,  that  stoves  were  introduced; 
that  the  measure  met  with  great  opposition  even  from  some  phy- 
sicians; and  that  the  attempt  to  introduce  fire  into  meeting  houses 
produced  in  some  places,  even  a  greater  commotion  than  the  in- 
troduction of  Dr.  Watt's  Psalms  and  Hymns.  We  may  suppose 
that  a  somewhat  similar  feeling  of  opposition  existed  here,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  the  copy  of  another  autographic  subscrip- 
tion paper,  prepared  by  Dr.   Davidson,  in  1790,  and  here  given: 

*P-  157- 


Appendix,  57 

"We  the  subscribers  taking  into  serious  consideration  the 
necessity  of  Stoves  in  our  church,  during  our  long  and  severe 
winters,  in  order  that  the  attendance  on  public  worship  may- 
be more  general,  safe,  and  profitable,  and  in  full  confidence 
that  the  cash  collected  for  this  purpose  will  be  applied  as 
soon  and  effectually,  as  may  be,  to  the  above  mentioned  De- 
sign; Do  promise  to  pay,  on  demand,  the  sums  annexed  to 
our  names  respectively,  to  such  person  or  persons  as  may  be 
appointed  to  receive  and  be  accounted  for  the  same. 
Witness  our  hands,  Januar}^  1790." 

And  to  which  is  appended  the  following  list  of  names:  "Chas. 
M.  McClure,  John  Hunter,  Jno.  Miller,  Rob't  Blaine,  Samuel 
Alexander,  Samuel  Postlethwaite,  Wm.  Blair,  Jun'r,  Wm. 
Lewis,  Joseph  R.  Postlethwaite,  Eph'm  Steel,  Wil'm  Anderson, 
William  Alexander,  lycmuel  Gustine,  Sheriff  Buchanan,  Richard 
Parker;"  with  the  several  sums  in  shillings  and  pence  specified. 
At  the  end  of  the  list  is  a  statement  by  Dr.  Davidson  that  he 
had  received  of  the  foregoing  sums  Nine  dollars,  which  he  paid 
to  Mr.  Duncan,  treasurer.  *  And  the  back  of  the  paper  bears  this 
endorsement:  "Collections  for  vStoves  in  the  Presb'n  Church  in 
Carlisle  by  Mr.  Foster.     R.  D.  collected  most  of  them." 

Well  do  we  recollect  the  stoves  of  the  olden  time, — large  six- 
plated,  covered  v/ith  bricks,  and  those  who  needed  a  foot- warmer 
carried  a  brick  off  the  stove  to  the  pew.  They  were  intended 
more  for  utility  than  beauty,  and  would  greatly  contrast  with 
some  of  their  successors,  or  the  modern  appliances  for  heating 
churches.  What  a  long  length  of  sheet-iron  pipe  they  had,  sup- 
ported by  iron  rods  and  wire,  extending  up  and  over  the  galler3% 
and  then  projecting  out  of  the  front  or  south  windows,  with 
a  h"  piece  on  the  end,  as  the  church  then  had  no  chimneys,  and 
had  none  until  remodeled  in  1828.  And  occasionally  there  would 
be  a  fuliginous  liquid,  or  sooty  drip  from  a  loose  joint  in  the  pipe; 
but  this  did  not  greatly,  interfere  with  the  devotions  of  the  people, 
or  injure  seriously  the  building  itself,  the  floor  of  which  was  not 
carpeted,  and  the  aisles  were  paved  with  large  square  tiles  o'r 
bricks.  Methinks  if  the  original  membenship  were  rehabilitated, 
and  would  reenter  the  present  very  beautiful  and  inviting  church. 


58  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

what  a  change  would  be  seen,  and  what  a  surprise  would  be  ex- 
perienced! And  yet  those  strong  and  massive  walls  have  now 
been  standing  one  hundred  and  twelve  years,  without  a  crack  or 
bulge  or  any  inclination  from  their  original  and  rigid  perpendicu- 
larity. Even  the  shelling  of  the  invader  of  July  3rd,  1863, 
though  it  struck  the  east  end,  failed  to  pierce  or  damage  the 
well  built  and  substantial  wall. 

Another  subscription  with  the  caption  written  by  Dr.  David- 
son, is  given,  as  it  refers  to  the  next  item  of  church  furniture  in 
the  order  of  time: 

"We  the  subscribers  promise  to  pay  the  sums  annexed  to 
our  names  respectiveiy,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a  large 
Chandeliere  for  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carlisle." 

And  the  names  are  here  given  alphabetically:  "William 
Alexander,  John  Arthur,  Robert  Barckley,  Simon  Boyd,  Thos. 
Butler,  Chas.  Cooper,  Robt.  Davidson,  Thos.  Foster,  Jas.  Givin, 
Sam'l  Gray,  Ivcmuel  Gustine,  Joseph  Hays,  Jno.  Hughes,  Jno. 
Hunter,  Robt.  Huston,  Geo.  Kline,  Sam'l  Laird,  Jas.  Lamberton, 
Wm.  Lewis,  Mary  Lindsey,  Arch'd  Loudon,  Jas.  McCormick, 
Jno.  McCurdy,  Alex'r  McKeehan,  Edward  Magauran,  Jno. 
Montgomery,  Jno.  Morrison,  Geo.  Pattison,  Jos.  R.  Postlethwaite, 
Sam'l  Postlethwaite,  Wm.  Rainey,  Geo.  Rowan,  Thos.  Smith, 
Eph.  Steel,  Wm.  Wallace,  Jno.  Webber." 

And  endorsed  on  the  same  paper  is  a  statement  by  Dr. 
Davidson  that  he  had  received  and  paid  out  of  the  several  sums 
;^18.7.6  on  the  26th  of  March,  1794." 

Often  when  a  boy  have  we  admired  that  same  old  chandelier, 
with  its  numerous  and  many  sided  glass  pendants,  glistening  in 
the  sunlight  and  beautifully  iridescent,  or  bright  at  night  with 
its  circular  rows  of  burning  candles  that  were  placed  in  tin 
sockets,  and  so  arranged  as  to  secure  the  running  of  a  "waster." 
When  the  church  was  remodeled,  1 827-' 29,  the  chandelier  was 
given  to  that  "Genuine  Carlisler,"  the  Rev.  J.  Miller  McKim, 
for  a  little  church  that  he  served  in  Wormelsdorf,  Berks  County; 
and  many  years  afterwards,  its  successor  in  Carlisle — a  bronze 
chandelier  with  astral  lamps,  in  which  was  used  spermaceti  oil — 


Appendix.  59 

was  gotten  by  some  church  of  our  valley.  In  the  early  times, 
also,  tin  sconces  holding  candles  were  hung  around  the  interior  of 
the  church,  above  and  below  the  gallery,  suspended  to  nails  in 
the  walls  and  in  the  wooden  pillars  that  supported  the  gallery; 
and  it  was  not  until  1823  that  Jacob  Bishop- -assisted  by  Henry 
Myers — was  employed  to  hang  several  lamps  from  the  ceiling, 
over  the  gallery,  at  the  south  side  and  the  east  and  west  ends. 

Also  we  have  an  autographic  subscription,  written  in  the 
very  legible  and  easily  recognized  chirography  of  Dr.  Davidson, 
dated  "March  30,  1794"  and  signed  by  some  country  ladies,  "as 
some  cash  was  yet  wanting  to  pay  for  the  ornaments  of  the  Pul- 
pit, and  as  the  pulpit  itself  was  erected  chiefly  by  ladies  residing 
in  Carlisle."  These  "ornaments  of  the  Pulpit,"  we  suppose, 
embraced  the  candelabrum  on  each  side  of  the  Bible,  the  cushion 
for  the  Bible,  and  perhaps  the  sounding-board,  which  at  that 
time  constituted  a  necessary  part  of  church  architecture,  with 
the  elaborate  panel-work  and  mouldings  of  that  hexagonal  pulpit 
and  the  handsome  wainscotting  in  its  rear — all  of  which  we  re- 
member. And  the  persons  subscribing  were:  Elizabeth  Car- 
others,  Mary  Carothers,  Jane  Dunbar,  Isbel  Hays,  Margret 
Carothers,  Elizabeth  Parker.* 

These  time-worn  and  time-browned  papers,  so  interesting  in 
themselves,  show  conclusively  that  the  old  stone  church — not  com- 
menced till  1769 — was  not  completed  so  soon  as  March  of  1786, 
and  was  not  furnished  until  years  afterwards.  They  also  show 
the  active  and  persevering  part  taken  in  such  matters  by  the  ex- 
cellent Dr.  Davidson.  If  however  the  work  was  slow  in  its  prog- 
ress, it  was  most  substantial  in  its  character,  as  what  remains  of 
it  fully  shows. 

[*The  full  text  of  the  subscription  is  as  follows.  "We  the  subscribers 
being  informed  that  soma  Cash  is  yet  wanted  to  pay  for  the  Ornaments  of 
the  Pulpit  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Carlisle;  and  being  also  informed 
that  the  pulpit  itself  was  erected  by  subscriptions  by  the  Ladies  of  the 
congregation  principally  residing  in  Carlisle;  wishing  that  our  names  may 
also  appear  as  encouragers  of  so  good  a  Design,  Do  promise  to  pay  to  Mrs. 

Dunbar  the  sums  annexed  to  our  names,  to  be  forwarded  to  Philad'a 

to  Mr.  Montgomery,  to  reimburse  him  for  what  he  has  advanced  for  the 
Ornaments  above  mentioned.     March,  1794." 

At  the  bottom —  "reed  pr  me  ;^2-i4-4>^  Robert  Davidson." 

The  endorsement  on  the  paper  reads,  "Collections  for  the  Pulpit  By 
Mrs.  Dunbar— March  30lh,  1794.    Rec'd  of  Mrs.  Dunbar  ^3-i4-43^"JC.,F.H. 


60 


Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 


F. 

PETITION  TO  PRESBYTERY. 

Copy  of  the  petition,  with  the  seventy-seven  names  annexed, 
which  was  presented  by  Mr.  Andrew  Blair,  in  behalf  of  the 
petitioners,  to  the  Carlisle  Presbytery  which  met  at  Newville, 
November  28,  1832. 

"To  the  Reverend  Presbytery  of  Carlisle: 
In  consequence  of  the  distracted  state  of  the  Presbyterian 
congregation  in  Carlisle,  already  known  to  you,  we  the  sub- 
scribers, members  of  the  same,  do  respectfully  petition  you 
to  divide  said  congregation,  and  form  us  into  a  separate  so- 
ciety, under  your  care,  taking  such  order  in  the  case,  as 
that  the  object  of  this  our  petition,  may  ho.  fully  andybrw- 
ally  affected,  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  January  next. 
Carlisle,  November  20th,  1832." 

22.  Margaret  Agnew,  Communicant 

23.  Lydia  Biddle,  Pewholder 

24.  Jane  W.  Paxton,  Communicant 

25.  Thomas  C.  Lane,  Pewholder 

26.  John  Harper,  Pewholder 

27.  Ursula  Lamberton,Communicant 

28.  Robert  Clark,  Elder 

29.  Margaret  Clark,  Communicant    . 

30.  Mary  Clark,  Communicant 

31.  Robert  Griffin,  Communicant 

32.  Peter  B.    Smith,   Communicant 
Deacon  and  Trustee 

33.  John  Paxton,  Communicant 

34.  John  Williamson,  Pewholder 

35.  James  Hamilton,  Communicant 
Trustee 

36.  John    Proctor,   Communicant 
Deacon  and  Trustee 

37.  Mary  Proctor,  Communicant 

38.  Alexander  C.  Gregg,  Communicant 

39.  John  Smith,  Communicant 

40.  Andrew  Holmes,  Communicant 

41.  Robert  Young,  Communicant 

42.  Margaret  Young,  Communicant 

43.  Susan  Blaine,  Communicant 

44.  Jane  Logue,  Communicant 


1.  John  McClure,  Elder 

2.  Jane  McClure,  Communicant 

3.  Andrew  Blair,  Elder 

4.  Elizabeth  Blair,  Communicant 

5.  George  A.  Lyon,  Communicant 

and  Trustee 

6.  Anna  G.  Lyon,  Communicant 

7.  Margaret  C.  Jackson,  Communi- 

cant 

8.  Margaret  Jackson,  Communicant 

9.  Rebecca  Ramsey,  Communicant 

10.  Mary  Holmes,  Communicant 

11.  Sarah  Irvine,  Communicant 

12.  Ann  Craighead,  Communicant 

13.  Margaret  Craighead,  Communi- 

cant 

14.  Elizabeth  Kerr,  Communicant 

15.  George  Murray,  Communicant 

16.  Robert     Irvine,     Communicant 

Deacon  and  Trustee 

17.  Eleanor  Irvine,  Communicant 

18.  James  Wilson,  Pewholder 

19.  James  Thomson,  Communicant 

20.  William  B.   Murray,   Communi- 

cant 

21.  John  Agnew,  Communicant 


Appendix.  61 

45.  Benjamin  Fernald, Communicant  6r.  Diana  Lemon,  Communicant 

46.  Sarali  B.  Fernald,  Communicant  62.  Abraham  Lamberton,  Pewholder 

47.  Rachel  Cooper,  Communicant  63.  Martha  Duncan,  Communicant 

48.  Charles  B.  Penrose,  Pewholder  64.  John  Hays,  Communicant 

49.  Elizabeth  Boden,  Communicant  65.  Ellen  Hays,  Communicant 

50.  Sarah  Boden,  Communicant  66.  Isaac  Weakley,  Pewholder 

51.  Sarah  McCommon, Communicant  67.  John  Huston,  Communicant 

52.  Isabella  Love,  Communicant  68.  Eliza  Huston,  Communicant 

53.  Crawford  Foster,  Communicant  69.  Joseph  Connelly,   Communicant 

and  Trustee  70.  Sarah  Ann  Doyle,  Communicant 

54.  Mar}'  Smith,  Communicant  71.  George  Metzger,  Pewholder 

55.  Gilbert  Searight,  Communicant  72.  William  Irvine,  Pewholder 

56.  Sarah  Searight,  Communicant  73.  Priscilla  Boyd,  Communicant 

57.  John  Stuart,  Communicant  74.  Jane  Irvine,  Communicant 

58.  Elizabeth  Bullock,  Communicant  75.  Catherine  Ross,  Communicant 

59.  Mary  Province,  Communicant  76.  James  Breden,  Pewholder 

60.  Mary  Laird,  Communicant  77.  William     Edmond,     Pewholder 

Of  the  above  subscribers  sixty-five  were  communicants,  and 
twelve  were  pewholders;  three — Robert  Clark,  John  McClure 
and  Andrew  Blair — were  Ruling  Elders;  four — Robert  Irvine, 
John  Proctor,  Peter  B.  Smith  and  Robert  Grifiin — were  Deacons; 
and  six — Geo.  A,  I, yon,  Peter  B.  Smith,  John  Proctor,  James 
Hamilton,  Crawford  Foster  and  Robert  Irvine  were  Trustees. 

In  answer  to  the  Petition,  Presbytery  unanimously  adopted 
the  following  Resolution,  and  appointed  the  Revs.  James  William- 
son and  A.  B.  Quay,  a  committee,  to  organize  a  church  consist- 
ing of  the  petitioners,  members  and  officers  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Carlisle,  so  set  off  from  that  church: 

"Resolved,  That  the  prayer  of  the  minority  of  the  Congre- 
gation of  Carlisle  requesting  to  be  formed  into  a  separate  Society 
under  the  care  of  this  Presbytery,  from  and  after  the  first  day  of 
January,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-three,  be  granted, 
in  view  of  the  state  of  things  now  existing  in  that  Congregation 
and  known  to  Presbj^tery." 

The  Second  Church  began  its  independent  existence  in  Jan- 
uary, 1833,  having  then  a  communicating  membership  of  65  per- 
sons.    During  the  j-ear  1833 — in  addition  to  the  original  member- 


62  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisi^e,  Pa. 

ship  of  65 — thirty-four  persons  joined  from  the  First  Church* 
besides  those  who  had  been  received  on  examination,  or  by  cer- 
tificate from  other  churches,  making  an  aggregate  of  48  additions 
during  the  eleven  months  succeeding  the  organization.  During 
the  fifty  years  the  total  number  of  those  who  have  joined  the 
church  is  about  1080,  or  an  average  of  twenty-one  and  a 
fraction  every  year.  Of  these  scores  have  moved  to  other  parts 
of  the  country,  adding  strength  as  we  trust  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  elsewhere;  scores  have  also  finished  their  work  on  earth, 
and  gone  to  the  church  triumphant;  and  today  the  church  num- 
bers 400 — a  much  greater  number  than  ever  before,  and  there 
are  only  two  churches  among  the  47  belonging  to  the  Presbytery 
that  are  numerically  larger — Pine  street  Church,  Harrisburg,  re- 
ported 488,  and  Big  Spring  Church,  Newville,  411,  according  to 
the  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  for  1881-1882.  This  is  in- 
deed a  most  creditable  and  inspiring  record,  honorable  to  the 
founders  of  the  church  and  their  successors,  and  it  verily  be- 
comes us  to  feel  and  exclaim: 

"The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad'" 


G. 

CHARTER. 

The  charter  may  be  seen  in  the  Laws  of  Pennsylvania  of  the 
Session  of  1832-1833,  pp.  302-304. 


*The  names  of  quite  a  number  of  persons  do  not  appear  on  the  Register 
of  the  Second  Church  until  a  few  months  after  its  organization.  This  is 
true  of  quite  a  number  of  persons,  who,  hke  the  "original  members,"  are 
marked  in  the  First  Church  "Manual"  (Published  by  Mr.  Dufifield  in 
1834.)  with  the  "d.  by  P." — dismissed  by  Presbytery — attached  to  their 
names;  but  we  suppose  as  they  may  have  happened  not  to  be  piesent  at  the 
meeting  when  the  church  was  actually  organized,  they  were  not  then  en- 
rolled with  the  sixty-five,  though,  (as  indicated  by  the  "Manual")  equally 
dismissed  in  November,  1832,  to  constitute  the  separate  church  from  and 
after  January,  1833. 


Appendix.  63 

H. 

FIRST  CHURCH  BUILDING. 

Soon  after  the  organization  there  were  several  meetings  of 
the  Committee  of  Fifteen,  the  first  one  was  held  at  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Lyon,  and  the  others  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Hamilton. 
Sub-committees  were  appointed  to  solicit  subscriptions;  to  secure 
drafts  and  plans  for  a  building,  not  to  cost  more  than  $5000, 
and  $20  for  the  architects  services;  and  to  examine  several  lots 
in  town,  their  respective  advantages  and  report.  It  was  also  de- 
cided that  the  building  should  be  of  stone,  with  Lecture  and 
Sabbath  School  rooms  on  the  first  or  basement  story,  and  with  a 
cupola  or  dome  for  a  bell. 

Proposals  were  duly  received  and  considered  in  regard  to 
locations  as  follows:  Mr.  Hendricks  Weise  offered  part  of  a  lot 
on  North  Hanover  street,  west  side  and  near  Locust  alley  for 
$600,  and  the  other  half  of  the  lot  was  offered  by  Mr.  Henry 
Lecher  for  $700.  Mr.  James  Underwood  offered  his  house  and 
lot,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Pomfret  and  Pitt  streets,  for 
$1600,  or  the  one-half,  off  the  south  end,  for  $700.  Mr.  James 
Thomson  offered  70  by  120  feet  on  the  north  side  of  East  Main 
street,  not  far  from  East  street,  for  $1000;  Mr.  Jacob  Bishop, 
70  by  120  feet,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Bedford  street  and 
Liberty  alley,  for  $866.67,  with  conditions  annexed;  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Oliver  the  house  and  lot  at  the  southeast  cornet  of  Hanover 
and  Pomfret  streets,  60  by  160  feet  for  $2250.  And  Mr.  James 
Given  offered  half  a  lot  of  ground  adjoining  Christian  Humrich. 
After  an  interchange  of  views  and  opinions,  the  committee  pro- 
ceeded to  determine  the  question  by  vote,  and  on  the  third  ballot 
the  Oliver  lot  was  selected.  Whereupon  Messrs  C.  B.  Penrose, 
Jno.  Hays,  Jas.  Thomson,  Jno.  Agnew,  and  Geo.  A.  Lyon  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  make  the  purchase,  but  at  a  price  not 
to  exceed  $2200. 

Afterwards  the  congregation  was  convened,  heard  and 
adopted  the  report  of  the  committee;   also  continued  the  com- 


64  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisee,  Pa. 

mittee,  to  make  all  necessar}^  arrangements  toward  securing  the 
erection  and  completion  of  the  church  edifice,  agreeably  to  an  ap- 
proved plan,  and  for  such  sum  and  on  such  terms  as  might  be 
within  the  means  of  the  congregation.  A  building  committee 
was  then  appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs  C.  B.  Penrose,  P.  B. 
Smith,  Andrew  Blair,  John  Agnew,  Dr.  Paxton,  Robt.  Irvine 
and  James  Hamilton.  The  committee,  previously  appointed  for 
the  purpose,  reported,  that  they  had  contracted  with  Mr.  Oliver 
for  the  purchase  of  his  house  and  lot,  then  occupied  by  Dr.  Theo. 
Myers,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Hanover  and  Pomfret  streets, 
for  $2200.  The  report  contains  this  statement:  "It  is  proper  to 
remark  that  although  this  price  exceeds  what  we  could  have 
wished  to  expend  merely  for  ground  to  build  on,  yet  when  it  is 
considered  that  there  was  no  other  site  within  our  reach  eligible 
in  all  respects,  and  that  by  a  sale  of  part  of  the  ground  not 
wanted,  and  the  materials  of  the  house  on  the  premises,  the 
actual  cost  will  be  reduced  to  less  than  $1600,  for  a  corner  lot, 
combining  the  advantages  of  a  central  situation,  with  free  air 
and  light,  on  which  is  to  be  erected  an  edifice  not  merely  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  present  generation,  but  those  who  are 
to  come  after  us,  we  are  sanguine  that  what  we  have  done  will 
meet  the  approbation  of  all  concerned,  especially  as  we  believe 
we  have  ample  means,  after  paying  for  the  lot,  to  erect  with  due 
economy  a  neat  edifice  without  incurring  debt."  The  action  of 
the  committee  was  approved  by  the  congregation,  and  the  com- 
mittee continued  and  authorized  to  receive  from  Messrs  Andrew 
Blair  and  Robert  Clark  the  said  sum,  and  pay  it  to  Mr.  Oliver  on 
the  delivery  of  his  deed  agreeably  to  his  contract.  Here  it  may 
be  proper  to  say  something  in  regard  to  this  trust  and  reserved 
fund,  in  the  custody  of  Messrs  Blair  and  Clark,  upon  which  the 
committe  had  been  directed  to  draw,  and  the  following  is  a  per- 
fectly reliable  account  of  it.  The  Glebe  Farm  at  the  Meeting- 
House  Spring,  belonging  to  the  Presbyterian  congregation  in 
Carlisle,  had  been  offered  for  sale — the  graveyard,  and  free  access 
to  and  from  it,  being  reserved — and  it  was  purchased  by  Phillip 


Appendix.  65 

Weaver  in  January  of  1827,  for  $3500.*  After  liquidating  cer- 
tain claims  out  of  the  money  thus  acquired,  the  balance  was  in- 
vested in  Carlisle  Bank  stock,  worth  in  1833  about  $2800.  The 
petition  for  the  new  church  was  unanimously  granted  by  Presby- 
tery in  November  of  1832.  Afterwards  the  Board  of  Trustees — 
having  been  desired  so  to  do — gave  the  necessary  notice,  and 
called  a  meeting  of  the  congregation,  December  12th,  1832,  to 
consider  the  matter  of  conveying  to  the  persons  forming  the  2nd 
Church  the  aforesaid  Bank  stock.  It  was  an  unusually  laige 
meeting  of  the  congregation,  and,  excepting  one  remote  voice, 
the  action  was  unanimous.  At  this  meeting  the  following  facts 
were  made  manifest,  and  led  to  the  result  just  mentioned.  (1) 
The  persons  desiring  the  conveyance  were  not  only  very  re- 
spectable in  number  and  character,  but  they  regularly  contributed 
nearlj'  one-half  of  the  salary  of  the  pastor,  and  of  the  contingent 
expenses  of  the  church.  (2)  This  was  not  only  their  standing 
and  conduct,  but  their  worthy  ancestors  had  been  active  and 
efficient  in  the  erection  of  the  church  and  afterwards  in  sustain- 
ing it,  and  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  had  been  the  ancestors 
of  those  who  were  left  in  peaceable  possession  of  the  property. 
(3)  In  1832  the  church  building,  lecture  room  and  ground,  in 
the  northwestern  section  of  the  Public  Square,  were  valued  at 
$8000.  As  this  property  could  not  conveniently  be  divided,  and 
as  the  majority  would  not  sell  it,  those  going  out  from  the 
church — not  willing  to  demand  a  full  and  just  share,  and  anxious 
to  avoid  the  very  appearance  of  a  litigious  spirit — were  willing 
to  relinquish  their  joint  right  to  and  interest  in  this  large  amount 
of  property  for  the  comparativel}'  small  sum  in  the  bank,  and 
which  could  be  available.  Had  they  not  thus  magnanimously 
acted  then,  afterwards,  when  the  vSupreme  Court  of  the  State 
recognized  theirs  as  //'(■  Presbyterian  church,  they  might  have 
legitimately  claimed  the  whole  property.  It  certainly  was  a  clear 
evidence  of  Christian  courtesy  and  magnanimity  on  their  part  to 
decline  pressing  their  right  to  an  equitable  division  of  the  church' 


^County  Records,  Book  K.  K.  V.  I,  p.  163,  etc. 


66  Prksbytekian  Chukchks,  Caklisle,  Pa. 

property,  and  to  be  satisfied  to  receive  the  much  less  amount. 
All  this  was  appreciated  at  the  congregational  meeting,  since 
there  was  not  only  great  and  creditable  unanimity  in  the  action 
of  that  meeting,  in  directing  the  transfer  of  the  aforesaid  amount, 
but  some  of  the  noble-hearted  who  were  there  and  remained  in 
the  old  church,  expressed  a  willingness,  personally,  to  assist  in 
the  erection  of  the  new  church,  and  this  they  afterwards  did. 
In  accordance  with  this  emphatic  decision  of  the  congregation, 
regularly  called  together,  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  on 
Monday  following,  being  December  17th — the  public  notice  for 
which  having  been  given  the  previous  day — and  a  resolution  was 
unamiously  adopted  making  the  actual  transfer  in  trust  to  Messrs 
Andrew  Blair  and  Robert  Clark,  than  whom  there  were  none 
more  honorable  or  responsible  in  the  congregation. 

The  property  thus  purchased  from  Alex'r  Oliver  in  1833* 
had  been  purchased  by  him  from  Dr.  Adam  Hays  in  18  52,t  and 
he  had  bought  it  in  1822  from  Mr.  John  McClure  the  surviving 
executor  of  the  estate  of  Andrew  Holmes,  Sen'r.| 

John  C.  Trautwine,  a  distinguished  architect  of  Philadelphia, 
furnished  two  plans,  and  the  more  beautiful  one  was  adopted. 
In  referring  to  the  selection  thus  made,  he  afterwards  assured 
the  committee  that  it  "could  not  fail  to  give  satisfaction  in  the 
execution."  And  added:  "it  is  based  on  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful Grecian  temples  in  existence,  with  such  alterations  as  adapt 
it  to  the  particular  use  required."** 


*Record  Book,  O.  O.  Vol.  i,  p.  313,  and  p.  452. 

fRecord  Book,  L.  L.  Vol.  i,  p.  376. 

JRecord  Bnok,  G.  G.  Vol.  i,  p.  181.  He  had  bought  it  in  May,  1808 
from  Lindsey  Spottswood,  who  had  purchased  it  from  Thomas  and  James 
Duncan,  executors  of  Stephen  Duncan,  for  670  pounds,  Pennsylvania  cur- 
rency.    See  Record  Book  S.  Vol.  i,  p.  296. 

**Mr.  Trautwine  was  connected  socially  and  professionally  with  some  of 
the  best  architects  of  America.  He  has  published  several  standard  works, 
relating  to  civil  engineering,  and  contributed  valuable  articles  to  some  of 
our  scientific  journals.  He  died  Sept.  14,  1883.  See  Journal  of  the  Frank- 
lin Institute,  Nov.  1883,  Rail  Road  Gazette,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  15,  1883,  with  en- 
graved portrait. 


li  ■  rm-yffgigstgg§ 


Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

lUiilt  ISiS— Rebuilt  ISTl. 


I 


Appendix.  67 

The  lot  having  been  chosen  and  purchased,  the  plan  adopted, 
and  subscriptions  encouragingly  commenced,  a  contract  was 
made  with  Samuel  Holman,  of  Harrisburg,  May  14,  1833,  to 
build  it,  pursuant  to  the  plan,  SO  by  70  feet,  of  stone  and  rough 
cast,  for  $4325,  the  contractor  to  have  all  the  material  in  the 
dwelling  hoiiSe  then  standing  on  the  ground,  and  to  be  taken 
down  at  his  own  expense.  The  front  was  ornamental,  with  an 
Ionic  portico  of  four  columns  of  wood,  thirty  inches  in  diameter 
and  eighteen  feet  high;  with  a  terrace  of  earth  raised  a  few  feet 
above  the  street,  and  enclosed  by  a  stone  wall;  and  this  terrace 
suitably  paved  and  sodded,  was  reached  by  steps  on  either  side, 
which  did  not  show  in  front  but  only  on  either  flank,  near  the 
front.  The  collonade  was  also  reached  by  several  steps  in  front, 
from  the  raised  terrace.  The  Sabbath  School  room  was  across 
the  east  end  of  the  basement — having  two  windows  on  the  north 
with  the  reading  desk  between  them,  three  windows  in  the  east, 
and  a  window  and  door  at  the  south  side.  The  front  entrance, 
being  a  high  and  double  door,  faced  Hanover  street,  and  opened 
into  a  lobby  about  ten  feet  wide,  from  each  end  of  which  was  a 
stairway  leading  into  the  choir  gallery  over  it;  also  three  doors 
leading  into  the  centre  and  two  side  aisles  of  the  church,  and  as 
the  centre  was  wider  than  the  side  aisles,  the  side  doors  were 
each  single,  but  the  centre  door  was  double.  At  the  east  end, 
fronting  the  main  entrance,  was  the  pulpit,  with  a  window  on 
each  side.  There  were  also  five  windows  on  each  side  of  the 
auditorium,  including  one  on  either  side  looking  out  of  the  lobby. 
All  these  windows  were  long  and  narrow,  with  semi-circular 
tops,  excepting  the  two  in  front — one  on  each  side  of  the  chief 
entrance— which  were  oblong  and  square.  There  were  double 
blocks  of  pews  between  the  centre  and  side  aisles,  the  entire  num- 
ber of  which  was  76,  with  six  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit — in  all 
88.  The  ends  of  these  pews  were  painted  white  and  numbered, 
with  cherry  cappings,  sofa  fashion,  stained  and  varnished.  The 
ceiling  had  stucco  cornice  and  mouldings  round  the  three  aper- 
tures for  the  chandelier  and  ventilation.  According  to  the 
agreement  the  basement   was  to  be  completed  and  fit  for  use  in 


68  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

the  autumn  of  1833,  and  the  entire  building  in  the  spring  follow- 
ing. 

The  building,  whose  beginning  and  progress  had  elicited  so 
much  of  faith  and  prayer  and  pleasurable  interest  among  its 
warm  friends,  was  satisfactorily  finished;  and,  both  in  its  ex- 
ternal appearance  and  internal  arrangements,  was  considered  a 
model  of  beauty — very  chaste  and  attractive,  and  greatly  ad- 
mired. 

Subsequently  the  Board  of  Trustees  appointed  Messrs  Ham- 
ilton. Metzger  and  Penrose  a  committee  to  have  "a  silver  goblet 
made,  of  the  value  of  thirty  dollars,  with  a  suitable  inscription, 
and  present  the  same  to  John  C.  Trautwine,  Esq.,  architect,  in 
the  name  of  the  corporation,  and  that  they  at  the  same  time  ex- 
press the  thanks  of  the  Board  for  the  elegant  plan  of  a  church 
edifice  which  he  so  generously  furnished,  and  the  information  he 
so  kindly  afforded  the  building  committee  during  the  construc- 
tion of  the  same" — all  of  which  was  very  handsomely  acknowl- 
edged by  Mr.  Trautwine.  The  same  committee  were  directed 
by  the  Board  to  "express  to  Mr.  Holman,  the  contractor,  the  en- 
tire satisfaction  and  gratification  of  the  Board  in  the  construction 
and  completion  of  the  church  edifice,  and  consider  the  building  a 
specimen  of  taste  and  skill  highly  creditable  to  him  as  an  archi- 
tect and  workman." 

The  statement  below  shows  the  amount  received  and  ex- 
pended in  behalf  of  the  new  building. 

Original  price  of  the  ground $2200.00 

Amount  of  contract  for  the  church  erection. . .      4325.00 

Extra    work — hanging    bell,    two   additional 

pews,  bricks,  etc 22.25 

The    furniture — including  chandelier,  lamps, 
candelabras,  carpeting,  cushions  and  stoves       785.72 

Bell  of  400  lbs.,  $179.60,  carriage  of  it  $7.91, 

lightning  rod,  $16 203.51 

$7536.48 


Appendix.  69 

To  meet  the  above  the  church  had  the  proceeds  of 

The  bank  stock $2800.00 

The  first  subscription  book 3212.75 

Subscription  for  bell 209.00 

Second  subscription  for  the  building  and  its 

furniture 1371.50 

Newville  subscription 77.00 

$7670.25 
7536.48 

Balance  in  favor  of  the  church 133.77 

The  expenses,  however,  for  furnishing  the  church  were 
afterwards  necessarily  increased,  and  some  of  the  subscriptions 
were  never  collected,  but  all  expenses  were  duly    met  and  paid. 

As  might  have  been  expected  the  membership  of  the  new 
organization  gladly  contributed,  and  some  of  them  quite  liberally, 
considering  their  circumstances  and  the  times  in  which  they  lived, 
yet  persons  belonging  to  almost  every  other  church  in  town  gave 
to  the  object,  including  some  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  as  well  as  persons  m  the  Silver  Spring  and  Big  Spring 
congregations.  The  subscription  book  for  the  last  place  we  have 
not,  but  we  know  that  the  aggregate  amount  was  $77.  We  have, 
however,  the  two  other  subscription  books,  very  creditable  to  all 
concerned,  and  also  the  original  subscription  for  the  bell;  and 
without  specifying  the  several  sums  contributed,  whether  large 
or  small,  as  doubtless  thej'  were  in  each  case  acceptable  and  ap- 
preciated— we  have  given  a  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  sub- 
scribers, in  alphabetical  order  as  interesting  and  fittingly  due  the 
memory  of  those  concerned: 

Jno.  Agnew,  Wm.  M.  Anderson,  Ed.  Armor,  B.  Aughen- 
baugh,  Jacob  Baughman,  Geo.  Beetem,  Wm.  Bell,  W.  Bentz, 
Lydia  Biddle,  Ed.  M.  Biddle,  Susan  Blaine,  And'w  Blair,  And'w 
Boden,  Elizabeth  Boden,  Priscilla  Boyd,  Jas.  Bredin,  Margery 
Bryson,  Rob't  Bry.son,  Jno.  M.  Butler,  Elizabeth  Campbell, 
And'w  Chapman,    Rob't  Clark,    Ann  Clark,  Joseph  Clark,  Jno. 


70  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

Clendenin,  W.  S.  Cobean,  Rachel  Cooper,  David  Cornman,  Mar- 
tin Cornman,  Jno.  Craighead,  Eleanor  Creigh,  James  Crever, 
Jno.  Cnlbertson,  Patrick  Davidson,  Gad  Day,  Daniel  Denny, 
Elizabeth  Denny,  Jas.  PI.  Devor,  I^enry  A.  Doty,  Martha  Dun- 
can, Jno.  P.  Dunbar,  Jas.  Dunlap.  Wm.  Edmond,  Geo.  Ege. 
Joseph  Egolf,  Mich'l  Egolf,  Jno.  Elliott,  Benjamin  Fernald, 
Jacob  Fedder*,  Jacob  Fettert,  Jacob  Fickes,  Jno.  Fierovid,  Marg't 
Fleming,  Jno.  Fleming,  And'w  Forbes,  David  S.  Forney,  Craw- 
ford Foster,  Geo.  D.  Foulke,  Elliott  Giffin,  Rob't  Giffin,  V/m. 
Glancey,  David  Glen,  J.  H.  Graham,  Jas.  Graham,  Wm.  Graham, 
Alex'r  C.  Gregg,  Rob't  D.  Guthrie,  Jas.  Hamilton,  Sarah  Hamil- 
ton, Wm.  Harkness,  Lewis  Harlin,  Jno.  Harper,  Jno.  HartzelL 
Jno.  Hattou,  Jno.  Hays,  Jno.  Fleagy,  Jno.  Hemminger,  Abrara 
Hendal,  Wm.  M.  Henderson,  Thos.  Hennessy,  Jno.  Herman, 
Andrew  Holmes,  Mary  Holmes,  Jno.  Huston,  Armstrong  Irvine, 
Jane  Irvine,  Rob't  Irvine,  Sarah  Irvine,  Wm.  Irvine,  Marg't 
Jackson,  Thos.  B.  Jacobs,  Abel  Keeney,  Dan'l  R.  Keller,  Geo. 
Keller,  Elizabeth  Kerr,  David  Kinkaid,  Jno.  Kinkaid,  Thos. 
Kinkaid,  Abram  Lamberton,  Jas.  Lamberton,  Marg't  Lamberton, 
Ursula  Lamberton,  E.  T.  Lane,  Thos.  C.  Lane,  Wm.  Lindsey, 
Gabriel  Line,  Wm.  Line,  Geo.  Lee,  Thos.  Lee,  Wm.  Leonard. 
Isabella  Love,  Jane  Logan,  Henry  Lynch,  Geo.  A.  Lyon,  Jno. 
McClure,  Chas.  McClure,  Alex'r  McCord,  Rob't  McCoy,  Nancy 
McCue,  Jno.  McDonald,  C.  McManus,  Rob't  McPherson,  Jno. 
Main,  Jas.  Mateer,  Jno.  Mateer,  Wm.  Mateer,  Geo.  Matthews, 
Geo.  Metzger,  Lewis  Mickey,  Geo.  Murray,  Sen'r,  Wm.  B. 
Murray,  Jno.  Noble,  Jas.  Noble,  Rich'd  Parker,  Jno.  Paxton, 
Benj'm  Peffer,  C.  B.  Penrose,  Elizabeth  Ramsey,  Esther  Ram.sey, 
Rebecca  Ramsey,  Seawright  Ramsey,  Rob't  D.  I'orter,  Jno. 
Proctor,  Mary  Province,  Paul  Randolph,  Wm.  Randolph,  Mary 
Robinson,  Catherine  Ross,  Jemima  Sanderson,  Michael  Sanno, 
Gilbert  Searight,  Ann  Searight.  Geo.  W.  Sheafer,  Marg't  Simi- 
son,  Jno.  Smith,  P.  B.  Smith,  Rob't  Snodgrass,  Benjamin  Stiles, 
Ed.  J.  Stiles,  Jno.  Stuart,  Jas.  Thomson,  Thos.  Thomson,  Nicho- 

*A  coach-maker,  on  N.  Hanover  Street, 
t  A  cabinet-maker,  on  W.  Main  Street, 


Appendix.  71 

las  Ulerich,  Fred'k  Watts,  Peter  Wiebley,  Jno.  Weakley,  Jno. 
H.  Weaver,  E.  White,  Jno.  Wonderlich,  J.  Woodburn,  Sani'I 
Woodburn,  Sam'l  Woods,  Rob't  Young,  Jacob  Zug. 

The  first  subscription  paper  is  most  numerously  signed;  the 
second  has  thirty-six  names  that  are  not  on  the  first,  and  the 
third  has  but  three  names  that  are  not  on  the  first  or  second. 
In  the  third  subscription  or  that  for  the  bell,  Mr.  Andrew  Blair 
who  had  previously  been  one  of  the  very  largest  contributors  to 
the  new  church — wishing  to  stimulate  the  liberality  of  others 
and  secure  the  more  speedily  the  amount  requisite — wrote  before 
his  name,  "on  condition  that  ten  names  be  procured  who  will 
pay  ten  dollars,  I  will  pay  ten  ;"  and  afterward  Wm.  Irvine  and 
Rob't  Irvine  gave,  each  ten  on  the  same  terras.  The  ten 
names  were  gotten,  including  that  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  who  wrote 
near  his  name,  "to  bs  paid  as  soon  as  a  subscription  is  raised  for 
furnishing  the  church" — he  was  very  willing  to  do  what  was 
proposed  but   not   willing  to    "leave  the  other  undone." 

Before  the  erection  of  the  first  building  the  congregation 
worshipped  in  the  County  Hall,  also  in  the  chapel  of  the  college, 
and  in  the  Lutheran  church.  As  previously  stated  the  first  ser- 
vice was  held  in  the  County  Hall,  Jan.  12,  1833.  On  that  mo.st 
important  and  interesting  occasion,  which  gave  formal  organiza- 
tion to  the  infant  church,  commencing  its  life  in  storm}^  times, 
and  as  a  matter  of  great  comfort  and  encouragement  to  those  en- 
gaged in  it,  the  officiating  minister  preached  from  the  strength- 
ful  and  animating  assurance,  "My  refuge  is  in  God,"  Ps.  62  :  7. 
On  the  5th  of  June  following  the  congregation  met  in  the  college 
chapel  to  elect  their  first  pastor,  when  the  Rev.  James  William- 
son appropriately  preached  from  Gal.  5  : 1,  "Stand  fast  therefore 
in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free."  The  Rev. 
Daniel  McKinle}'  was  unanimously  elected.  Presbytery  then 
met  in  the  County  Hall,  on  the  7th  of  August  following,  at  11 
o'clock,  when  the  call  was  accepted  and  arrangements  were  made 
to  instal  the  pastor-elect,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  in  the 
college  chapel,  which  were  duly  carried  out  as  here  stated:  By- 
invitation  the  Rev.    Jno.    M.    Krebs,   of  the   Presbytery  of  New 


72  Presbytkian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

York  being  present,  preached  the  sermon  from  Is.  55  :  10.  The 
Rev.  Henry  R.  Wilson,  Moderator,  proposed  the  constitutional 
questions  to  the  pastor  and  people;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  Neill,  of 
Philadelphia,  by  invitation,  gave  the  charge  to  the  pastor,  and 
the  Rev.  James  R.  Sharon,  of  Paxton  and  Derry.  gave  the  charge 
to  the  people.  Though  the  first  baptisms  were  administered  in 
the  County  Hall,  the  first  communion  was  observed  in  the  Lutheran 
church,  Feb.  3,  1833,  by  invitation  of  the  vestr}^  of  said  church. 
The  congregation  commenced  worshiping  in  the  Lecture  Room 
of  the  new  building,  Nov.  17,  1833,  and  in  regard  to  this  first 
service  we  have  the  following  record  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr. 
Andrew  Blair:  "Through  the  goodness  of  God  the  congregation 
assembled  the  first  time  for  worship  in  the  Lecture  Room  in  the 
basement  story  of  the  new  church,  on  Sabbath  l7th,  November, 
1833,  where  they  intend  worshiping  statedly  until  the  church  is 
finished.  Rev.  Mr.  McKinley  preached  the  same  day  from  Ps. 
122  :6,  7,  8  and  9.  We  may  be  permitted  to  state  further,  that 
on  Sabbath,  July  27,  1834,  the  first  commumion  was  held  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  church;  and  among  the  first  persons  then  re- 
ceived on  examination  were  Ann  H.  Blair  and  her  cousin,  Mary 
McClure,  the  former  the  only  daughter  of  elder  Andrew  Blair, 
and  the  latter,  youngest  daughter  of  elder  Jno.  McClure. 

We  would  here  say  to  the  honor  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
that  when  the  pews  were  first  given  out,  the  choice  was  not  de- 
termined by  lot  or  by  auction,  but  what  was  wiser  and  more  com- 
mendable, the  oldest  person  making  application  had  the  first 
choice,  and  so  on  by  seniority  until  they  were  all  taken. 

In  October,  1850,  the  trustees,  by  contract  with  Mr.  Jacob 
Beetem,  had  the  pulpit  lowered,  and  this  was  the  first  alteration. 
In  the  summer  of  1864,  Messrs  L.  and  M.  J.  Myers  were  em- 
ployed to  enlarge  the  Sabbath  School  Room,  by  adding  to 
it  a  portion  of  the  Lecture  Room,  having  two  small 
rooms  at  the  west  side,  between  which  a  wide  passage  led  into 
the  enlarged  room,  which  passage  faced  the  pulpit  or  reading 
desk  on  the  east  side,  and  led  from  a  wide  hall  at  the  extreme 
west  end,  running  north  and  south,  which  was  entered  by  a  door 


Appendix.  '  73 

on  Pomfret  street,  as  well  as  by  a  stairway  from  the  church 
lobby  above,  and  from  which  hall  a  door  led  into  each  of  the' 
two  small  rooms.  And  this  important  and  comfortable  change 
was  made  chiefly  through  the  instrumentality  of  an  efficient  lady 
member,  who  also  generously  gave  of  her  time  and  means  to  ren-' 
der  inviting  the  first  home  of  her  pastor. 

The  old  church  had  been  built  in  exciting  times  by  sterling 
men  and  women  of  faith,  who  planned  and  toiled  not  for  them- 
selves alone,  but  for  future  generations.  For  this  reason,  not 
less  than  for  its  architectural  symetry  and  beauty,  the  building 
commanded  respect  and  admiration.  It  had  become  dear  to 
many  hearts,  and  there  are  those  still  living,  on  whose  loving  and 
grateful  affection  it  had  a  strong  hold.  But  it  was  claimed  to 
have  accomplished  its  work,  and  that  a  larger  and  more  modern 
one  was  needed.  Its  place  is  now  occupied  by  another.  The 
last  service  was  held  in  the  church  on  Sabbath,  June  19th,  1870, 
when  in  the  absence  of  the  pastor.  Rev.  Wm.  H.  lyOgan,  preached, 
and  in  this  closing  service  it  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to' 
participate.  ' 

The  bell  of  the  old  church  was  sold  to  the  Presbyterians  of 
Newburg,  in  our  county,  and  is  in  the  belfry  of  their  church. ' 
The  pulpit  and  pews  are  in  the  Church  of  God  in  Plainfield,  or 
Smoky  Town,  a  few  miles  we.st  of  Carlisle. 

The  pretty  ornamented  columns,  that  supported  the  light  on 
each  .side  of  the  pvilpit  are  in  the  writer's  little  parlor. 


J. 

DEED  TO  STEELS  MEETING-HOUSE  EOT,  No.  177. 
The  parchment  bears  the  endorsement: 

"Recorded  in  the  office  for  Recording  Deeds  for  the  city  and 
county  of  Philadelphia,  patentBook  A.  A.  Vol.  II,  page  236,  etc., 
the  17th  day  of  April.  1761.  Witness  my  Hand  and  Seal  of 
my  Office  af'd.  C.  Brockden,  Rec'or." 


74 


Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 


"Patent  to  Thomas  Wilson  and  others  for  a  Lot  of  Ground 
in  the  Town  of  Carlisle  and  County  of  Cumberland,  in  trust  for 
the  Presbyterian  congregation  there.  No.  177."  Signed  by 
James  Hamilton,  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  following  extracts 
may  be  of  some  interest:  "To  all  unto  whom  these  presents 
shall  come  Greeting,  whereas  on  the  humble  Petition  and  Request 
of  the  Minister  and  Congregation  of  Presbyterians  in  the  Town 
of  Carlisle  and  County  of  Cumberland  and  its  neighborhood  at 
present  under  the  ministry  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  John  Steel  that 
we  would  grant  unto  them  a  certain  Lot  of  Ground  in  our  said 
Town  of  Carlisle  marked  in  the  General  Plan  thereof  number  one 
hundred  and  seventy-seven,  for  erecting  and  continuing  thereon 
a  House  of  Religious  Worship  for  the  use  of  the  said  Congrega- 
tion," *  *  *  "our  Surveyor  General  *  *  *  *  made 
return  of  the  said  Lot  of  Ground  *  *  in  order  for  confirma- 
tion *  *  *  *  to  Thomas  Wilson,  John  Davies,  John  Byers, 
William  Speer,  John  Montgomery,  and  Ezekiel  Smith,  who  are 
members  of  and  appointed  by  the  Congregation  their  Trustees 
for  taking  up  the  said  Lot  of  Ground   for  the  use  aforesaid"     * 

*  *  *  "  Zb  have  and  to  hold  *  *  *  *  to  and  for  the 
use  Intent  and  purpose  of  erecting  and  continuing  thereon  a 
Church  or  House  of  Religious  Worship  for  the  use  of  the  said 
congregation  of  Presbyterians  and  their  Decendants  and  Suc- 
cessors forever  in  such  manner  as  the  Minister,  Elders  and  Ma- 
jority of  such  Congregation  for  the  time  being,  and  from  time  to 
time  order  direct  and  appoint  to  be  holden  of  us  *  *  *  as  of 
our  Manor  of  Lowther  in  the  County  of  Cumberland  aforesaid." 

*  *      W'V/w^ss  James  Hamilton,   Esq.,   Lieutenant   Governor     * 

*  *  *  sixth  day  of  April  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  sixty-one." 


Appendix.  75 

K. 

AGREEMENT  FOR  SALE  OF  DUFFIELD  LOT,  No.  122. 

[The  following  paper  filed  among  the  papers  of  J.  A.  M., 
but  not  given  in  his  address,  is  here  included  as  of  possible  inter- 
est:] 

Endorsement:  "Articles  of  Agreement  Between  the  Trus- 
tees of  Carlisle  &  Jno.  Smith,  &c. 

June  6th,  1792,  the  first  pay't  of  twenty  Pounds  and  4/ 
for  two  months  Int'st  thereon  agreeable  to  within  article  paid 
me  Will'm  Lyon  as  P.  Rec't  gave  Sd  Smith  &  McCoy  this  Day. 

Rec'd  the  above  sum  of  ^^20-4-  from  Wm.  Lyon  the  16th 
June,  1792.  John  Creigh." 

"In  consideration  of  a  valuable  consideration  to  me  in  hand 
paid  and  secured  to  be  paid  by  William  Bunchanan  of  the  Bor- 
ough of  Carlisle  Carp'r  I  do  release  to  him  all  my  Right  Title 
and  Interest  of  in  and  to  the  Lot  of  Ground  mentioned  in  the 
within  article  of  agreement  and  do  hereby  allow  that  the  same 
shall  be  conveyed  by  the  Trustees  therein  mentioned  to  him  in 
my  room  as  fully  and  freely  as  the  same  was  to  be  conveyed  to 
me  he  paying  the  rem'dr  of  the  consideration  money  yet  due 
said  Trustees  by  me  for  the  half  of  said  lot  by  me  held  being  ten 
pounds  lawful  money  of  Pennsylv'a  at  or  upon  the  30th  day  of 
March  next.  In  Testimony  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  seal  this  26th  day  of  Sept.,  1792. 

John  McCoy  [Seal]" 
Signed,  sealed  and  delivered 

in  the  presence  of 

Sam'l  Lyon 

Will'm  Lyon." 

"Articles  of  Agreement  made  and  concluded  upon  between 
Stephen  Duncan,  John  Creigh  and  Will'm  Lyon  in  Behalf  of  The 
Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  the  Borough  of 
Carlisle  of  the  one  part  and  John   Smith,  Black  Smith,  and  John 


76 


Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 


McCoy,  Blew-Dyer,  both    of   the   said   Borough  of  Cumberland 
County  as  follows,  viz. 

The  said  Stephen,  John  and  William  do  sell  unto  the  said 
Smith  and  McCoy  that  Lot  of  Ground  in  said  Borough  which 
was  held  by  the  Congregation  of  the  late  Rev'd  Doct'r  Geo.  Duf- 
field  in  said  Booough  known  in  the  General  Plan  of  the  said 
Town  by  the  No.  122  on  the  South  side  of  Pomfret  street  adjoin 
ing  the  Lot  whereon  the  Meeting  House  of  the  said  Rev'd  Doct'r 
Duffield  stood  and  was  Burnt  down,  and  the  Lot  whereon  the 
aforesaid  John  Smith  now  Lives  for  and  in  Consideration  of  the 
sum  of  Forty  Pounds  the  one-half  to  be  paid  in  hand  to  the  said 
Stephen  Duncan,  John  Creigh  and  Will'm  Lyon  and  the  other 
twenty  Pounds  to  be  paid  in  one  3'ear  from  the  present  Date  for 
which  twenty  Pounds  the  said  John  Smith  and  John  McCoy  is  to 
give  Bond  and  sufficient  Security  if  demanded  upon  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  said  Congregation  giving  them  a  Conveyance  of  the 
said  Lot  defending  the  same  from  the  said  Congregation  forever 
subject  to  the  Payment  of  such  Rents  or  Reservations  as  are  now 
due  or  shall  become  due  for  the  same  to  the  Chief  Lord  or  Lords 
of  the  fee  thereof.  And  the  said  John  Smith  and  John  McCoy 
do  agree  with  the  said  Stephen  Duncan,  John  Creigh  and  Will'm 
Lyon — in  Trust — for  the  Trustees  aforesaid  to  pay  the  said  Forty 
Pounds  Lawful  money  of  Pennsylvania  in  manner  aforesaid,  for 
the  true  performance  whereof  the  parties  bind  themselves  to  each 
other  in  the  penalty  of  eighty  Pounds  Like  Lawful  money  afore- 
said. In  Witness  whereof  the  said  Parties  have  hereunto  Inter- 
changeably set  their  Hands  and  Seals  the  30th  Day  of  March, 
Anno  Domini  1792. 

Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  Stephen  Duncan  (seal) 

in  presence  of  John  Creigh  (seal) 

Ellis  Minshall  Will'm  Lyon         (seal) 

James  Clendennan.  John  Smith  (seal) 

John  McCoy       (seal)" 


Appendix.  77 

L. 

CONSIDERATION  OF  SALE  OF  THE  GEEBE,  ETC. 

[The  following  among  the  documents  relating  to  the  church, 
but  not  quoted  by  J.  A.  M.,  is  given  as  of  some  possible  interest. 
It  seems  to  contain  notes  of  minutes  of  a  meeting,  without  date, 
and  a  synopsis  of  the  act  of  incorporation,  apparently  for  use  at 
the  meeting  which  seems  to  have  been  provided  for  on  page  3. 
The  resolution  on  p.  4  is  dated  Sept.  1,  1796.  It  is  on  a  small 
sheet  of  paper,  5  by  8  to  the  page] . 

Page  1. 

"Sec.  1.  Cons' t  12  Gentlemen  by  name  and  their  successors 
a  Corporation  and  Body  Politic  in  law  and  in  fact  to  have  con- 
tinuance forever  by  the  name  of  the  'Trustees  of  the  P.  C.  in  the 
B.  of  C.  in  the  C.  C 

Sec.  2.  Vests  in  said  Corporation  and  their  successors  all 
lands,  tenements,  rents  etc.,  which  had  been  previously  conveyed 
in  any  way  to  or  for  the  use  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Car- 
lisle or  to  the  religious  congr.  worshipping  therein  under  Doct'r 
Robert  Davidson — and  ennables  the  said  Corporation  and  their 
successors  to  take  and  hold  any  future  Grant  or  Gift  of  Lands, 
Goods,  etc. 

Sec.  3.  Directs  that  the  rents,  profits  and  interest  of  the 
real  and  personal  estate  shall  be  appropriated  by  the  Trustees 
to  the  maintenance  and  support  of  the  Pastor,  for  repairing  and 
maintaining  the  House  of  Public  Worship,  Parsonage  House  and 
other  buildings  which  now  are  or  hereafter  shall  belong  to  said 
corporation. 

Sec.  4.  Enacts  that  when  and  as  often  as  it  may  become 
necessary  to  rebuild,  enlarge  or  otherwise  alter  or  repair  the 
House  of  Public  Worship  or  any  other  building  of  said  corpora- 
tion— or  to  erect  any  new  buildings — or  to  make  an}'  new  pur- 
chases for  the  use  of  the  said  congregation,  it  may  be  law- 
ful for  the  Trustees  to  sell  the  whole  or  part  of  said  real  or  per- 
sonal estate  as  a  majority  of  the  regular  members  of  said  congre- 
gation duly  called  to  meet  together  shall  by  their  vote  direct,  the 
Proceeds  to  be  applied  agreeably  to  the  vote  of  said  majority." 

[Continued  on  second  page.] 


78  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

"Sec.  5.     Enacts  that  no  part  of  the   Real   Estate  shall  be 
conveyed  or  in  anj-  way  encumbered  by  the  Trustees  without  the 
consent  of  a  majority  of  the  members  of  said  congregation  who 
shall  have  met  together  on  due  notice  having  been  previously  and  ■ 
publicly  given  for  that  purpose. ' ' 

[On  bottom  of  this  page  in  reversed  position.] 
"Resolved  that  be  a  committe  to  wait  on 

Mr.  Duffield  for  the  purpose  of  communicating  to  him  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  meeting  and  of  receiving  from  him  any  com- 
munication which  he  may  wish  to  have  laid  before  the  officers  of 
the  church  on  or  before  the  congregational  meeting  to  be  held 

on  Saturday  the  12th  inst. 

McCord,  Blair  &  Holmes." 

[On  third  page.] 

"The  members  of  this  congregation  are  requested  to  meet  in 
this  place  on  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the 

following  propositions  recommended  on  the  part  of  the  church  as 
calculated  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  congregation. 

1st.  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  be  authorized  to  effect  a 
sale  of  the  Glebe  farm  with  as  little  delay  and  for  such  price  as 
they  or  a  majority  of  them  shall  deem  expedient  under  the  present 
embarrassed  state  of  the  congregation. 

2nd.  That  the  Trustees  be  authorized  to  apply  so  much  of 
the  money  of  such  sale  be  necessary  to  discharge  the  Balance  of 
Principal,  Interests  and  Costs  due  upon  the  Judgement  against 
this  corporation  in  favor  of  Dr.  Nesbit's  [?]  heirs  [?] 

3rd.  That  the  Balance  of  the  purchase  money  shall  be 
vested  by  said  Trustees  in  such  Public  Stock  or  loaned  on  such 
real  security  as  a  majority  of  said  Trustees  shall  deem  most  for 
the  benefit  of  the  corporation." 

[Covering  whole  page,  and  no  date   given.] 

[On  fourth  page — lengthwise  of  the  paper.] 

"1796,  Sept.  1.  Resolved  that  some  one  suitable  person  if 
such  can  be  found  be  employed  to  collect  the  stipends  of  the 
present  year,  and  that  he  be  allowed  5  per  cent  on  all  that  may 
be  received  by  him  and  paid  into  the  Treasury.  Trustees  present, 
Doctor  Davidson,  John  Montgomery,  James  Weakley,  Dr.  Gus- 
tine,  Charles  McClure,  Sam'l  I^aird,  Geo.  Logne,  Gen'l  Irvine, 
William  Lyon  and  Thomas  Craighead." 


Appendix.  79 

F.F. 

{addendu)n  to  Appendix  F.) 
BRIEF  BIOGRAPHICAL  DATA. 

1.  Jiio.  MClure,  see  page  23. 

2.  Mrs.  Jane  McClure,  born  Aug.  12th,  1785,  daughter  of 
William  and  Sarah  (Holmes)  Blair,  wife  of  elder  Jno.  IMcClure, 
died  Aug.  13th,  1864.  Was  the  mother  of  three  sons,  who  died 
before  reaching  maturity,  and  three  daughters  who  married,  and 
had  families. 

3.  Mr.  Andrew  Blair,  see  page  19. 

4.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Blair,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ann  (Gor- 
don) Hays,  and  wife  of  elder  Andrew  Blair,  was  born  April  10th, 
1792;  married  March  31st,  1812;  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
six  of  whom  reached  adult  life,  four  married  and  had  families. 
She  died  Jan.  2nd,  1843.  One  of  her  si.sters,  Jane  Hays  married 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Daniel  Zacharias  of  the  German  Reformed  church; 
another,  Mary  Hays  married  Dr.  Charles,  R.  Cooper,  of  this 
place,  and  afterwards  of  Clarksville,  Tenn;  one  of  the  brothers, 
Dr.  Adam  Hays,  married  Charlotte  McClure,  of  Willow  Grove 
Farm,  and  his  residence  stood  on  the  hill  where  is  now  the  2nd 
Presbyterian  church;  another  brother  was  John  Hays,  one  of  the 
original  members  of  this  church. 

5.  Mr.  Lyon,  see  page  28. 

6.  Mrs.  Anna  G.  Lyon,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lyttleton 
Savage,  of  Northampton  Co.,  Va.,  was  born  there  Feb.  1797, 
and  there  married  Mr.  Lyon  June  14th,  1815.  She  was  the 
mother  of  a  large  family.     Died  Aug.  25th,  1876. 

7.  Miss  M.  C.  Jackson,  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret 
Jackson,  died  in  Carlisle,  April  24th,  1867  aged  50  years. 

8.  Mrs.  Margaret  Jackson,  mother  of  the  preceding,  and 
widow  of  James  Jackson,  was  a  very  estimable  woman,  and 
taught  .school  for  a  long  time  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Hanover 
street  and  Chapel  alley,  where  she  resided.  She  died  March  24th, 
1853.  Her  daughter  Violetta  was  the  first  wife  of  Deacon  P.  B. 
Smith,  whose  son  James   Rani.sey  Smith,    was  a   member  of  the 


80  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

Carlisle  Bar,  and  whose  daughter  Jane  married  the  Rev.  John  F. 
Hey,  a  local  preacher  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  who  was  for  many 
years  a  successful  educator  here  and  elsewhere.  It  was  in  his 
school- room,  at  the  north  end  of  "Harper's  Row,"  second  story, 
that  the  sabbath  school  of  this  church  first  convened. 

9.  Miss  Rebecca  Ramsey,  sister  of  Mrs.  Margaret  Jackson, 
lived  with  her  sister,  and  assisted  in  teaching  school.  (The  rap  of 
the  thimble  on  the  head  was  an  often-administered  and  well-re- 
membered punishment).  Their  mother,  "Mrs.  Ramsey,"  was 
the  person  mentioned,  as  having  saved  Major  Andre,  when  a 
prisoner  here,  in  1776,  from  mob  violence,  and  who  declined  a 
present  from  him,  as  she  was  too  staunch  a  Whig  to  accept  a 
gratuity  from  a  British  officer. 

10.  There  were  several  families  by  name  of  Holmes,  and 
it  is  not  possible  reliably,  to  ascertain  to  which  Mary  Holmes  be- 
longed. 

11.  Sarah  Irvine,  daughter  of  William  Plarris,  brother  of 
John  Harris,  the  Indian  trader  and  pioneer,  who  married  Cathe- 
rine Douglas  of  the  family  of  Sir  Robert  Douglas  of  Scotland, 
was  born  March  20th,  1741  in  Derry,  vShe  was  the  widow  of 
deacon  Robert  Irvine,  and  died  March  1st,  1837. 

12.  Mrs.  Ann  Craighead,  maiden  name  Shields,  was  the  third 
wife  and  widow  of  James  G.  Craighead.  She  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  1778;  married  May  28th,  1807;  and  died  Dec.  7th, 
1843.     She  was  the  mother  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 

13.  Miss  Margaret  Craighead,  daughter  of  the  persons  just 
named,  was  born  July  4th,  1814;  married  Edward  Connelly  in 
1835;  and  died  in  the  west  in  1847,  aged  33  years. 

14.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Kerr,  daughter  of  William  Phillips, 
and  sister  of  George  Phillips,  editor  of  the  Carlisle  Herald,  was 
born  Feb.  14th,  1773,  and  died  Aug.  5th,  1842.  She  married 
Andrew  Kerr,  nailor,  1791,  and  their  home  was  at  southeast 
corner  of  Louther  and  Bedford  streets.  She  was  the  mother  of 
six  sons  and  six  daughters. 

15.  George  Murray,  son  of  William  and  Susanna  (Sly) 
Murray,  born  near  Fort  Pitt,  March  17th,  1762,  came  to  Carlisle 


Appendix.  81 

about  1774;  married  Mary  Denny,  daughter  of  William  and 
Agnes  (Parker)  Denny  June  27th,  1804,  and  died  May  6th,  1855 
in  Carlisle.  He  was  left  an  orphan  in  care  of  James  Pollock, 
Thomas  Alexander,  and  George  Stevenson,  and  was  by  them  in- 
dentured to  Simon  Boyd,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and 
West  streets.  He  became  a  model  citizen;  married  the  younger 
sister  of  the  wife  of  Lieut.  Boyd;  became  his  partner,  and  suc- 
ceeded him  in  a  large  business.  His  life  was  characterized  by 
strict  probity  and  a  high  sense  of  honor.  He  and  his  wife  be- 
longed to  the  First  Church,  and  both  became  members  of  the 
new  church.  Mrs.  Murray  was  born  in  Carlisle,  was  a  mother  of 
the  Christian  type,  and  for  man}-  years  a  consistent  member  of 
the  church.  She  died  here  April  10th,  1845.  All  of  their  chil- 
dren became  members  of  the  First  Church,  under  Dr.  Duffield, 
and  in  the  formation  of  the  Second  Church  the  family  was  divided. 

16.  Robert  Irvine.     See  page  26. 

17.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Irvine,  wife  of  Robert  Irvine,  to  whom 
she  was  married  by  Dr.  Davidson,  1811,  was  the  daughter  of 
Ross  Mitchell.  She  was  born  Jan.  26th,  1781,  and  died  Aug. 
29th,  1854.  Her  son,  Dr.  James  Ross  Irvine  was  a  deacon  in 
this  church,  and  another  son  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  First  Church. 

18.  James  Wilson,  was  not  of  a  Carlisle  family,  but  lived 
here  several  years,  and  was  only  a  pewholder  in  the  church. 
He  married  Eliza  daughter  of  Michael  Ege  and  sister  of  Capt. 
Geo.  Ege.  She  died  May  9th,  1837.  Their  daughter  Ann, 
married  Alexander  Wilson,  and  died  Feb.  22nd,  1852;  and  Mary 
Jane  married  John  Stockton.  A  son  James  Wilson  removed  to 
New  York  city. 

19.  James  Thomson.    See  page  36. 

20.  Wm.  B.  Murray.    vSee  page  37. 

21.  John  Agnew.    See  page  35. 

22.  Mrs.  Margaret  Agnew,  daughter  of  Matthew  Brown, 
wife  of  John  Agnew,  died  April  11th,  1852,  aged  60  years. 

23.  Mrs.  Eydia  Biddle  was  born  Jan.  16th,  1776,  and  died 
March  28,  1858.     She  was  the  widow  of  Wm.  M.  Biddle,  Esq.,  a 


82  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

broker  of  Philadelphia.  Her  father  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Elihu 
Spencer  who  was  related  to  David  and  John  Brainerd,  of  Indian 
Missionary  fame,  and  who  was  honored  with  the  warm  friend- 
ship of  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  elder.  He  had  been  a  distin- 
guished minister  in  our  denomination;  was  the  successor  of  Presi- 
dent Jonathan  Dickinson,  at  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  and  of  Dr. 
John  Rodgers  at  St.  George's,  Del.;  and  finally  had  charge  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  where  he  died  in 
1784.  He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  learning,  and  an  im- 
pressive and  popular  preacher.  He  was  a  decided  patriot,  so 
much  so,  that  his  active  services  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the 
Whigs  greatly  incensed  the  Tories,  and  on  one  occasion  they 
burned  man)^  of  his  books  and  most  valuable  papers,  which  hap- 
pened to  fall  in  their  way.  The  daughter  inherited  the  strong 
points  of  character  of  the  father.  She  was  the  sister  of  the  wife 
of  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Dickinson  Seargent  of  Philadelphia.  She 
was  a  true  friend  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and,  though  only 
a  pewholder  when  she  signed  the  petition  to  Presbytery,  she  was 
one  of  the  finst  received  on  certificate, — from  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  in  Philadelphia.  She  was  prominent  in  every 
work  connected  with  the  church.  Her  daughters,  Mrs.  Baird, 
Mrs.  Blaney  and  "Mrs.  Penrose  were  also  warmly  attached  to  this 
church  Mrs.  Baird's  eldest  son,  Samuel  Baird,  joined  the  church 
in  1840.  Her  youngest  daughter,  Mary,  became  a  member  in 
1854.  She  married  Major  Henry  J.  Biddle,  whom  she  survived. 
Among  her  other  benefactions  she  is  the  founder  of  the  Biddle 
University  for  Freedmen,  at  Charlotte,  N.  Ca.  She  erected  the 
church  at  the  corner  of  North  and  East  streets,  Carlisle,  as  a 
memorial  of  her  son,  Jonathan  Williams  Biddle,  and  is  now 
having  erected  on  East  High  street,  a  Hospital  and  Home  for 
aged  women.  Mrs.  Blaney's  daughter,  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Sharpe, 
Esq.,  became  a  member  of  this  church  in  1863.  The  aunt,  Mrs. 
Valeria  F.  Penrose,  was  the  first  person  received  into  this  church 
by  examination,  after  the  congregation  had  commenced  worship- 
ping in  the  Eecture  Room  of  the  new  building;  and  her  son  Prof. 


Appendix.  83 

R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  joined  this 
church  in  February,  1843. 

24.  Mrs.  Jane  W.  Paxton,  born  Jan.  31st,  1802,  was  the 
wife  of  Dr.  John  Paxton,  and  daughter  of  Hon.  James  Wilson, 
of  Fairfield,  Adams  Co.,  Pa.,  a  Member  of  Congress  for  three 
terms. 

25.  Thomas  C.  Lane,  a  pewholder,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Newton)  Lane  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.  He  was 
the  uncle  of  Harriet  Lane,  niece  of  President  Buchanan. 

26.  Major  John  Harper,  born  Nov.  29th,  1793,  was  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  the  county;  was  Presidential  Elector  1828,  Pro- 
thonotary  1829,  Trustee  of  the  Agricultural  and  Manufacturing 
Bank,  Director  of  the  Carlisle  vSaving  Fund  Society,  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  Surveyor.  He  built  Harper's  (Irvine's)  Row, 
east  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  was  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  pewholder  in  this  church, 
which  he  joined  on  examination,  Feb.,  1843.  His  wife  joined 
this  church  by  certificate  from  the  Associate  Church  at  Big 
Spring,  in  1834. 

27.  Mrs.  Lamberton — daughter  of  Abraham  and  Margaret 
Wood — widow  of  James  Lamberton,  who  had  been  a  Ruling 
Elder  in  the  First  Church,  was  the  mother  of  Abraham  Lamber- 
ton, one  of  the  founders  of  the  church.     vShe  died  Sept.  26,  1840. 

28.  Robert  Clark.     See  page  24. 

29.  Mrs.  Margaret  Clark — daughter  of  George  Smiley, 
whose  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Gen.  Frederick  Watts,  and  the 
sister  of  David  Watts,  Esq. — was  the  widow  of  elder  Robert 
Clark.  She  died  Nov.  30th.  1865.  One  of  her  sons  became  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  and  another  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the  church. 

30.  Miss  Mar)^  P.  Clark,  youngest  daughter  of  Robert 
Clark,  by  his  first  wife,  married  Robert  Elliott;  died  in  Chicago, 
111.,  1883. 

31.  Robert  Giffin.     See  page  27. 

32.  I'eter  B.  Smith.     See  page  25. 

33.  John  Paxton.     See  page  36. 

34.  John  Williamson.     See  page  35. 


84  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

35.  James  Hamilton.     See  page  32. 

36.  John  Proctor.     See  page  27. 

37.  Mary  Proctor,  daughter  of  John  OflBcer,  was  the  wife 
of  the  preceeding. 

38.  Alexander  C.  Gregg.     See  page  32. 

39.  John  Smith,  born  at  Middlesex,  in  this  county,  1757, 
died  in  Carlisle,  Oct.  6th,  1839;  served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace; 
taught  school  in  "Brackenridge's  Alley,"  near  Church  Alley, 
about  midway  between  the  public  square  and  Pitt  street.  Few 
men  were  more  respected  in  Carlisle  than  "Squire  Smith,"  or 
"Captain  Smith,"  or  "Gentleman  John  Smith,"  by  all  which 
titles  he  was  known;  the  latter,  because  of  his  generally  very  neat 
appearance.     He  married  Elizabeth  Byers  Davis. 

40.  Mr.  Holmes.     See  page  35. 

41.  Mr.  Young.     See  page  37. 

42.  Mrs.  Margaret  Young,  maiden  name  Elliott,  was  the 
second  wife  of  Robert  Young;  born  1779;  married  1820;  died  in 
Silver  Spring  Township,  Jan.  6th,  1847. 

43.  Mrs.  Ann  Susanna  Blaine — daughter  of  Paul  and 
Susanna  Metzger,  and  only  sister  of  the  late  George  Metzger — 
was  the  widow  of  Robert  Blaine,  who  died  Jan.  8th,  1826.  She 
died  Aug.  19th,  1853,  in  her  82nd  year.  She  is  said  to  have 
been,  when  young  very  pretty  and  attractive.  Her  daughter 
Rebecca  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  a 
graduate  of  Dickinson  College,  a  minister  of  our  church,  Presi- 
dent of  Center  College,  Ky.,  and  afterwards  of  Oakland  Col- 
lege, Miss.,  where  he  was  killed  by  a  student  Sep.  5,  1850. 
Dr.  Chamberlain's  second  wife  was  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Metzger  of  Hanover,  Pa.,  and  in  her  widow- 
hood lived  with  her  uncle  George  Metzger  in  Carlisle.  Another 
daughter,  Ann  Susanna,  married  Gen. Samuel  Alexander,  a  lead- 
ing member  of  our  Bar;  Eleanor  married  Dr.  Wheaton,  and  after 
his  death  Mr.  Hays;  Mary  married  Rev.  Adam  Gilchrist,  a  grad- 
uate of  Dickinson  College,  and  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

44.  Mrs.  Jane  Eogue,  widow  of  George  Logue,  Esq.,  was 
born  Dec.  20th,  1768,  and  died  here  Dec.  6th,  1839.     Their  at- 


Appendix.  85 

tractive  home  was  at   the  northwest   side    of    the    Borough,  and 
"Logue's  Garden"  and   "Logue's  Orchard"    were  well  known. 

45.  Mr.  Fernald.     See  page  37. 

46.  Mrs.  Sara  Fernald,  wife  of  preceeding,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Wright,  glover,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Oct.  28th,  1799, 
and  died  at  Jefferson,  Indiana  April  4th,  1869. 

47.  Mrs.  Rachel  Cooper,  only  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Margaret  (Gibson)  Craighead,  was  born  July  10th,  1783;  mar- 
ried John  A.  Cooper  of  Carlisle,  Feb.  14th.  1805;  died  in  Clarks- 
ville.  Tenn..  Feb.  2nd,  1845.  Her  only  child,  Dr.  Charles  R. 
Cooper,  who  moved  to  Clarksville,  Tenn.,  married  Mary  Hays  of 
Carlisle. 

48.  Charles  B.  Penrose.     See  page  31. 

49  and  50.  Elizabeth  and  Sarah  Boden,  were  maiden  .sisters. 
They  they  resided  on  the  north  side  of  Louther  street,  between 
Hanover  and  Bedford  streets.  Elizabeth  died  in  Duncannon, 
Pa.,  Feb.  7th,  1852,  in  her  66th  year,  and  Sarah  died  at  Oquaka, 
111.,  April  13th,  1864.  in  her  75th  year.  Their  father,  Hugh 
Boden,  was  County  Treasurer  in  1807,  SheriflF  in  1810,  and 
Cashier  of  the  Agricultural  and  Manufacturing  Bank,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  public  spuare  and  Hanover  street.  Their 
brother  Andrew  was  County  Treasurer  in  1815,  Member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1814  and  1815,  and  Member  of  Congress  from 
1817  to  1821.  He  was  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Second 
Church.  His  daughters  Sidney  and  Rebecca  joined  this  church 
in  Feb.  1834,  they  both  resided  subsequently  at  Oquaka,  Illinois. 

51.  Miss  Sarah  McCommon,  born  in  1776,  died  here  July 
3rd,  1844.  She  lived  with  her  sister  Mrs.  Nancy  Hogue,  and 
had  been  a  member  of  the  First  Church. 

52.  Isabella  Love,  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Hunter,  was 
born  in  Bucks  County.     Her  father  was  a  school  teacher. 

53.  Crawford  Foster.     See  page  33. 

54.  Mary  Smith,  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  (Greenwood) 
Scoby,  was  the  second  wife  of  Peter  B.  Smith,  Esq. 

55.  Gilbert  Searight.     See  page  36. 


86  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

56.  Sarah  Searight  was  the  wife  of  the  preceding. 

57.  John  Stuart.     See  page  31. 

58.  Elizabeth  Bullock,  maiden  name  Mattison,  was  the 
wife  of  Ezekiel  Bullock. 

59.  Mary  Province,  daughter  of  Mr.  Ramsey,  whose  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Ralph  Sterrett,  of  Sterrett's  Gap,  was  the 
sister  of  William  Ramsey,  member  of  our  Bar,  Clerk  of  our 
Court,  Prothonotary  of  the  County,  and  Member  of  Congress. 
Wm.  S.  Ramsey,  also  a  representative  in  Congress,  from  this 
district,  was  her  nephew.  Her  brother,  Stejrett  Ramsey,  was  a 
Purser  in  the  U.S.  Navy. 

60.  Mary  Laird,  daughter  of  James  Young,  and  the  relict 
of  Samuel  Laird,  Esq.,  was  born  Oct.  31st,  1741  and  died 
Feb.  4th,  1833.  Judge  Laird  had  been  one  of  the  commissioners, 
appointed  by  Mr.  Steel's  congregation,  in  1769,  to  secure  the 
erection  of  the  present  stone  church.  He  was  a  Ruling  Elder  in 
the  old  church,  and  is  one  of  the  corporators  named  in  the  church 
charter  of  1786.  He  and  his  wife  are  buried  at  the  old  grave- 
yard, at  Meeting  House  Springs. 

61.  Diana  Lemon,  maiden  name  Patterson,  was  the  mother 
of  Mary,  wife  of  Major  John  Harper. 

62.  Abraham  Lamberton.     See  page  34. 

63.  Martha  Duncan,  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Callender, 
of  the  Revolutionary  era,  and  sister  of  Anne  Callender,  who 
married  Gen.  William  Irvine,  the  patriot  officer  and  honored 
civilian  of  that  time  She  was  the  widow  of  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Duncan  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  Lan- 
caster in  1827,  and  was  buried  in  Carlisle — to  whom  she  was 
married  April  28th,  1785.  She  w^as  born  June,  1768,  and  died 
Feb.  29th,  1852.  Her  son,  Callender,  married  Miss  Huling,  and 
lived  at  Duncan's  Island.  Stephen  married  Miss  Stiles,  sister  of 
Edward  and  Benjamin,  and  for  them  the  three  story  house  was 
built,  still  standing  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  High  and  Bed- 
ford streets.  John  married  Miss  Sterrett,  sister  of  Mrs.  Brisbane — 
afterwards  Mrs.  Henry  Duffield— who  was  also  the  sister  of  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon  of  Erie,  Pa.  A  daughter,  Ann, 
married  Edward  J.   Stiles,    whose  beautiful  country  seat,  "Cler-' 


Appendix.  87 

mont,"  was  where  now  is  the  County  Home.  He  had  also  a 
residence  on  "St.  James'  vSquare,"  or  the  "court  end"  of  Car- 
lisle, which  extended  from  the  public  .square  to  Bedford  street. 
Another  daughter,  Mary,  married  John  D.  Mahon,  Esq.,  the 
distinguished  lawyer.  Catherine  married  Thomas  Chambers, 
Esq.,  of  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  brother  of  Hon.  Geo.  Chambers, 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania.  Frances,  was  the 
wife  of  Col.  Arthur  P.  Hayne  of  vS.  Ca.,  who  was  a  brother  of 
Hon.  R.  Y.  Hayne,  whose  avowal  of  the  doctrine  of  State  Rights 
called  forth  the  memorable  reply  of  Daniel  Webster.  John  Dun- 
can, the  brother  of  Thomas  was  killed  in  a  duel  at  the  north- 
eastern suburbs  of  Carlisle  by  Gen.  James  lyamberton,  June  22nd, 
1793,  aged  thirty-one  years,  and  he  was  the  challenger.  His 
widow— who  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  Postlethvvaite — 
became  the  second  wife  of  Col.  Ephraim  Blaine,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine.  Col.  Blaine's  son  James, 
the  grandfather  of  the  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine,  acted  as  Duncan's 
second,  and  Duncan's  wife's  brother,  Joseph  R.  Postlethwaite, 
accompanied  him  to  the  ground.  When  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  was  organized,  and  the  building  erected.  Gen.  Lamber- 
ton  became  a  pewholder,  and  attended  service  regularly.  After- 
wards he  applied  for  membership,  but  not  being  willing  to  con- 
fess that  he  had  done  wrong  and  was  sorry  for  having  killed 
Duncan,  the  session  declined  to  receive  him.  This  fact  is  simply 
given  as  an  evidence  of  their  extreme  care  in  receiving  persons 
into  full  communion. 

64.  John  Hays.     See  page  34. 

65.  Ellen  Hays  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Blaine,  and 
widow  of  Dr.  Wheaton. 

66.  Isaac  Weakley,  son  of  James  Weakley,  and  brother  of 
James  and  Nathaniel  Weakley,  a  pewholder  when  the  church 
was  organized,  became  a  member  in  full  communion,  April, 
1837.  The  Weakley  family  was  an  old  family,  and  generally 
Presbyterian  in  their  church  relations.  Some  are  interred  in  the 
old  graveyard  at  Meeting  House  Springs.  The  Hon.  J.  M. 
Weakley  was  a  nephew  of  Isaac,  a  son  of  James,  and  a  grandson 
of  Isaac  Weakley. 


88  Presbyterian  Churches,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

67.  John  Huston.     See  page  37. 

68.  Eliza  Huston,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Hester  (Lusk) 
Weakley  was  the  wife  of  John  Huston. 

69.  Joseph  Connelly  continued  in  the  other  church. 

70.  Sarah  Ann  Doyle,  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Young 
Fister,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  8th,  1810,  and  mar- 
ried to  Elisha  Doyle,  Esq.,  Dec.  25th,  1827;  they  removed  to 
Baltimore  in  1849. 

71.  George  Metzger.     See  page  36. 

72.  William  Irvine.     See  page  35. 

73.  Priscilla  Boyd,  eldest  daughter  of  William  and  Agnes 
(Parker)  Denny,  and  sister  of  Major  Ebenezer  Denny,  was  born 
in  Carlisle  May  28th,  1763,  and  died  Feb.  22nd,  1849.  She  was 
the  widow  of  Simon  Boyd,  an  officer  in  the  Second  Battalion  of 
Associators  of  Cumberland  County.     They  had  no  children. 

74.  Jane  Irvine  was  the  maiden  sister  of  Col.  Wm.  Irvine, 
with  whom  she  lived. 

75.  Catherine  Ross,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Harris) 
Irvine,  was  the  widow  of  James  Ross,  EL.  D.,  an  excellent 
classical  scholar,  at  one  time  connected  with  Dickinson  College, 
and  author  of  a  Eatin  Grammar,  and  several  other  primary  books 
in  Eatin.  He  died  in  Philadelphia  July  6th,  1827,  but  is  buried 
in  the  old  graveyard  here.  Miss  Irvine  was  his  second  wife, 
they  had  no  children. 

76.  James  Bredin,  came  from  Ireland  with  James  Given, 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  here.  Although  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  was  a  constant  pewholder  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  here  July  2nd,  1838,  and 
was  buried  in  the  old  graveyard.  The  family  subsequently 
moved  to  Butler,  Pa.  The  Hon.  John  Bredin,  President  Judge 
of  that  Judicial  District,  was  a  brother  of  James  Bredin,  and  the 
children  of  the  latter  who  resided  there  are:  Edward,  a  lawyer; 
Mary,  who  married  the  Rev.  Mr.  White,  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man, and  two  widowed  daughters,  Mrs.  Catherine  Graham,  and 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Parkerfield. 

77.  William  Edmond,  was  an  honest  and  industrious  son 
of  toil,  and  at  one  time  sexton  of  the  church. 


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